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Shred-it events protect people's identities

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Hundreds took action to protect themselves from identity theft Saturday morning.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and CVS hosted three events across the county to shred people’s sensitive documents.

Some say they collect and store bills and medical information for a full year without having a place to dispose of them, those are grateful for the free service.

"This is important to me, that I know that it is being taken care of and I really appreciate the sheriff's department for doing this,” Libby said.

Throughout the morning lines formed around the stores as people waited to get to the “Shred-it” trucks to dump their documents.

“I had three big shopping bags full of things that needed to be shredded,” Sandra Glassman of Boynton Beach said. “We all worry about identity theft and how to dispose of these things on our own."

The Federal Trade Commission recommends you shred all documents that show personal, financial and medical information before you throw them away.

Also, don’t respond to email, text or phone messages that ask for personal information. The FTC says legitimate companies won’t ask for information this way.

To check and ensure that your identity hasn’t been stolen, ask for a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies.

To order go toannualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228