TOPEKA – Kansans safely destroyed more than 5 tons of personal documents during last week’s National Consumer Protection Week events, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced.

The Attorney General’s Office, in partnership with local businesses and organizations in five cities, gave consumers the opportunity to drop off personal documents, which were then safely shredded and recycled. Many of these documents contained personally identifying information which could have been used by identity thieves if they were discarded without shredding.

“Identity thieves have a number of ways to obtain our personal information,” Schmidt said. “One of the most common ways is by finding a document – like a discarded bank or credit card statement – that has not been properly destroyed. Events like these help to build awareness of the importance of properly disposing of these documents, and many Kansans took the opportunity to do so.”

The document disposal events were held in Wichita, Salina, Garden City, Topeka and Pittsburg as part of the commemoration of National Consumer Protection Week, March 4-10. Governor Sam Brownback issued a proclamation declaring the observance in Kansas and advising consumers to be alert and conscientious to protect themselves from scams, financial abuse and identity theft.

Kansans can report scams and file complaints with the Attorney General’s Office by calling 1-800-432-2310 or visiting www.ag.ks.gov.