Question: Are there any of those free document-shredding events coming up statewide, not just on Oahu?
Answer: Yes. On Oct. 17, which is a Saturday, Hawaii’s Better Business Bureau is hosting BBB Secure Your ID Day, which will offer free shredding services on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island.
The event, which will last from 9 a.m. to noon, is intended to help people learn about and prevent identity theft. Specific activities vary slightly by island, but free shredding will be offered at all four sites (two on Oahu and one each on Maui and the Big Island), according to the BBB’s website.
You’ll be able to drop off up to two boxes of paper, CDs and floppy disks. Paper documents should be removed from binders, but staples and paper clips can be shredded.
In addition, the Oahu locations will accept old laptops, central processing units and servers for secure destruction of the hard drives. Cellphones will also be accepted and wiped for recycling; consumers are encouraged to remove their own data beforehand, the BBB said.
Here are the locations:
>> Access Information Management Aiea Destruction Center: 98-736 Moanalua Loop, Aiea
>> McKinley High School: 1039 S. King St., Honolulu (entrance off Pensacola Street)
>> Access Information Maui Record and Destruction Center: 124 Manea Place, Wailuku, Maui
>> Access Information Big Island Record and Destruction Center: 73-4164 Huli Koa Drive, Kailua-Kona
For more information, see 808ne.ws/1JRpTq1.
Q: Does the BBB or any other organization that accepts e-waste have the items “cleaned” … so that I don’t have to worry about sensitive information possibly being recovered or used?
A: Before donating, always verify with whatever organization you are considering about how it will dispose of your items. In the case of the upcoming event, Timothy A. Caminos, the Hawaii BBB’s director of communications and public relations, confirms that computer hard drives and related components will be destroyed in a secure manner — not recycled. Old cellphones will be “wiped” and recycled, he said; donors should remove their personal data beforehand.
Q: I received a phone message stating it was from the IRS, and they were notifying me they were instituting a claim against me and that I should phone the number they left for more information. Realizing this was a scam, I did not respond. … Whom should I notify so others will be aware?
A: Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents are a threat to taxpayers, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Scam artists sometimes threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other penalties. You were alert to recognize the con, which persists throughout the country.
The IRS stresses on its website that its agents will never “1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.”
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident by calling 800-366-4484 or filling out the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form at 808ne.ws/1L0awAa.
You may also submit a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission, at ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Mention “IRS telephone scam” in your complaint.
You may also document the incident on the BBB Scam Tracker, another online tool that can warn others. Submit as much information as you recall, including the potential scammer’s callback number, via the form at 808ne.ws/1ObHsGO.
Mahalo
On Aug. 28 I had lunch at Zippy’s in Kaneohe. I used the handicap-stall restroom and left my wallet on the tissue container. I walked out of the restroom without my wallet and went back to my seat. I was surprised when our waitress presented me my wallet. A kind lady had turned it in, and the waitress saw my ID. I greatly appreciated your kind gesture, “Lady.” Mahalo nui loa!
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
