The nickel-a-kilo a challenge helps generate a $15,000 donation

Toronto, ON. (April 12, 2007) – The National Community Shred® event marked the end of Fraud Prevention Month by putting the focus on identity theft and fraud in nearly 30 communities across the country. The response to the 2007 National Canadian Community Shred® was overwhelming, seeing a 54 percent increase in the amount of documents safely destroyed and later recycled in Shred-it's state-of-the-art mobile shredding trucks. Capital One and Shred-it are both committed to helping Canadians fight fraud and identity theft and this event achieved that goal by promoting action and awareness on these issues.

“The National Community Shred® event is an ideal opportunity for Canadians to get rid of sensitive documents as it is a key step individuals can take to avoid becoming victims of fraud and identity theft,” says Greg Brophy, President and CEO of Securit. “Everyone on the Shred-it team is proud to have offered this important free service to members of the communities where we do business.”

Capital One is also pleased to announce that the company will be donating $15,000 to SeniorBusters, a volunteer group of older, mainly retired Canadians that lend their time and support to PhoneBusters – the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre. They counsel senior victims of identity theft/fraud throughout North America, recognizing that fraud artists target seniors more than perhaps any other group. The donation represents a nickel for every kilogram of documents brought in by Canadians for shredding at last weekend's event, a sum Capital One is pleased to have topped off to reach the $15,000 mark.

“Capital One is proud to offer this donation to SeniorBusters on behalf of the Canadian public whose participation in the National Community Shred® helped support senior victims of fraud and identity theft,” says Bill Cilluffo, President of Capital One Canada, “Capital One is committed to providing Canadians in all stages of life with tools and resources to strengthen awareness on issues relating to personal finance and fraud prevention.”

Seniors are targets of scam artists because they generally have assets and are more trusting. According to PhoneBusters, in 2006 Canadians over the age of 60 represented 40 percent of the total dollar loss through telemarketing prize and lottery scams.

“We are grateful to Capital One for this donation and for helping focus attention on the issue of elder fraud as part of this event,” says Carol Gilmour, SeniorBusters Coordinator. “SeniorBusters was created in response to the high incidence of telemarketing fraud among older Canadians and the recognition that senior citizens require more time and support from staff to recover from losses. Senior victims are able to relate to our volunteers and with that trust are able to move forward with their claims while growing in awareness.”

Capital One offers the following tips for seniors to help guard against identity theft and fraud: