MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – News13 helped hundreds of people prevent identity theft for free on Saturday.

More than 500 people drove through News13’s free Shred-A-Thon at Broadway at the Beach. Shred360 shredded more than 20,000 pounds of documents with personal information. The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce also co-hosted the event. Representatives say shredding personal documents is an important security measure. “Identity theft is such an issue in this country and your documents are at risk if you don’t dispose of them properly,” said Cindy Gettig, the Chamber’s Director of Membership.