HUNTINGTON -- Consumer Credit Counseling Services, a division of Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area Inc., will join the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) in launching the first Protect Your Identity Week.

It will be Oct. 19 to 25, and member agencies will conduct ID theft workshops, credit report reviews and shredding events, in addition to providing a variety of other protection-oriented education.

All events are free and open to the public.

Here are the following dates and locations for the closest Protect Your Identity Week event:

• Oct. 17: At 9 a.m. at 721 Central Ave., in Barboursville, Goodwill's Consumer Credit Counseling Services will distribute informational pamphlets.
• Oct. 20: At 11 a.m. at 324 15th St., in Ashland there will be a DVD presentation for seniors, with a question-and-answer period and pamphlet distribution.
• Oct. 21: At 11 a.m. at 3015 Louisa St., in Catlettsburg, Ky., it will be another "Senior Day," with the same activities for seniors.
• Oct. 23: At noon at 97 Private Road 80 in South Point, Ohio, it's Buckeye Senior Awareness Week with seniors activities.
• Oct. 24: At 10:30 a.m. at 440 Cleveland St., in Wayne, there will be a Wayne County Seniors Meet and Greet, also with seniors activities.

According to Goodwill, identity theft touched the lives of more than 8 million consumers last year, with thefts totaling nearly $50 billion. According to the Federal Trade Commission, ID theft has been the top consumer complaint for the past five years in a row.

"We need to fight back, and the way to do that is to arm consumers with concrete steps they can implement into their daily lives," Angela Roach, CCCS's program manager, said in a press release. "We are all vulnerable to ID theft, making it even more critical that we stay aware of the latest schemes and understand how to protect ourselves."

The NFCC also created a consumer Web site developed to highlight valuable identity theft awareness and prevention education. The Web site, www.ProtectYourIDNow.org, features a map where consumers can locate National Protect Your Identity Week events near them; the Identity Theft Risk Check, an interactive quiz to help consumers assess their risk of identity theft; a video of an actual victim; steps to take if a consumer is a victim of identity theft; and identity theft protection tips and resources.

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