NILES — Identity theft has quickly become one of the most prevalent and costly crimes.

To help combat the issue, AAA East Central and Shred-It are hosting a free event Saturday in Niles to help reduce the chances of identity theft. The event will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at AAA’s office at 937 Youngstown Warren Road.

AAA members in the area are invited to bring up to five storage boxes (nonmembers, three boxes) filled with paperwork containing personally identifiable information, including names, birthdates, account numbers, etc., for free on-site shredding. All shredded materials will be recycled.

Items that can be shredded include credit card offers, bank statements, old checkbooks, tax forms and other paperwork, medical records, credit reports, personal records, insurance records and financial statements.