Altogether Shredding Services partnered with the town, scam awareness initiative

Whitecourt residents were given a unique opportunity on Saturday, April 22 in the parking lot at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre. Local business, Altogether Shredding Services, partnered with the Town of Whitecourt to provide the shredding of household personal documents free of charge.  Owner Herman Hansen has been providing the service for the past three years and was eager to partner with the town. “It’s nice to help out the community and introduce them to Altogether Shredding at the same time.”

Hansen parked his big truck on the far side of the lot and had bins ready to go. As residents drove up, Herman helped them dump their documents into a big rolling bin that was then hooked up to the truck. With a flick of a switch up went the bin and down went the papers as the bin was emptied into a huge shredder. “It’s a lot faster and a lot more economical,” said Herman. “It gives peace of mind by disposing of material this way. Everything is shredded here then hauled to Edmonton to a secure site where it’s all taken care of safely.”

Altogether Shredding Services utilizes a “rip and tear” system which not only cuts documents but also tears them into a multitude of itty bitty pieces. Fay Arcand, FCSS program co-ordinator, said depending on the demand, the Town of Whitecourt is hoping to offer it again next spring. “Herman’s been really great. He’s doing it for free, for the community, and that’s absolutely awesome.”

“We are promoting scam awareness so having a portable shredding company like this donate its time and equipment for us to create awareness in getting rid of our personal documents safely and efficiently and avoiding scams is just great.”

Fay said the initiative was about starting conversations and promoting scam awareness. Resources were on hand to give out including The Little Black Book of Scams which was published in partnership with the Town of Whitecourt, the Seniors Circle, and the Alberta Newsprint Company. The book goes through multiple kinds of scams from lotteries, pyramid schemes, money transfer requests, internet scams, charities, dating scams, and health scams.

The book also features a section with “Handy Hints to Protect Yourself” which arms readers with strategic responses to get out of situations and ways to spot a scam far before it ever affects you personally.

For more information on the scam awareness promotion, contact Fay Arcand at 780-778-3637 ext. 417. To safely dispose of your personal documents without the worry of your information falling into the wrong hands, contact Altogether Shredding Services at (780) 778-0873 or by visiting www.altogethershredding.com.