LOUISVILLE, KY – (DATE) As media reports of identity theft continue to increase across the country, and in recognizing the importance of educating its members about this threat, AAA announces ‘AAA Presents: Identity Theft Protection Week, Sponsored by LifeLock’ April 20 – 24, 2009. The week will include various educational elements regarding identity theft and will culminate with a “Shred-a-Thon,” a FREE document shredding event on Friday, April 24.
“We have had such an unbelievable number of inquiries from our members as it relates to identity theft that we saw a need to develop the first ever Identity Theft Protection Week,” said Roger Boyd, Director of Public Affairs, AAA East Central Kentucky Region. “Our strong partnership with LifeLock, the leader in identity theft protection, led us to develop a week filled with educational events and activities focused on educating our members on the various risks and scams that can lead to identity theft.”
Recent numbers released by the Federal Trade Commission show the total number of identity theft and fraud complaints reached their highest level ever in 2008 at more than 1.2 million, and identity theft was the number one category for complaints accounting for more than 26 percent of those filed. Individuals that reported identity theft or identity fraud to the FTC reported paying more than $1.8 billion in 2008 alone. In Kentucky, identity theft complaints reported to the FTC were up 30% from 2007 to 2008.
AAA also invites members to take advantage of their Shred-a-Thon, in conjunction with Identity Theft Protection Week. During this free event, members can bring their personal documents to the AAA location at 321 Whittington Parkway from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., where a commercial-grade shredding service will be on hand to dispose of them safely and quickly. The Shred-a-Thon is intended for use by AAA members for the secure destruction of household or personal documents, not for business or commercial use.
Founded in 2005, LifeLock works to close many of the doors identity thieves go through to misuse personal information. Closing in on 1.5 million members, LifeLock has earned multiple awards, including the Red Herring 100 Global Award as one of the Top 100 start-ups in the world. LifeLock was the recipient of two American Business Awards for advertising in 2008, and most recently, garnered an additional award honor for advertising from the International Business Awards. LifeLock representatives are available to assist members 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the company’s secure facility in Tempe, Ariz. LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) is a private company backed by Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, as well as Bessemer Venture Partners.
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA East Central Kentucky Region has eight offices serving more than 350,000 residents of Kentucky. AAA clubs can be visited online at www.aaa.com.
with the most advanced Identity Theft Protection system available!