While the term, “identity theft,” might seem to apply only to inpiduals, business owners should also be aware of how this type of theft can affect them, their employees and their customers.
Many businesses collect personal information from their customers such as name, telephone number, address, Social Security number and credit card number. Not properly safeguarding this kind of information can put customers and employees at risk.
According to a survey conducted by McAfee, the most significant threat to businesses is data getting leaked by employees, either accidently or intentionally. While it can be hard to determine the intent behind a leak, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has reported that 48.2 percent of known breaches are some form of targeted attack.
So far this year, ITRC has reported a total of 226 breaches that have exposed the personal information of more than 11 million consumers.
While there is a strong effort to decrease the occurrences of identity theft, identity theft will continue to occur. The responsibility for protecting personal identifying information is completely on those who request and store it.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) offers the following tips for protecting employee and customer personal information:
• Minimize what you save and store. Don’t keep information you don’t absolutely need. Destroy it after it is no longer needed, and do it responsibly.
• Use effective passwords. Never use the default password that may be provided by another company or service provider. Your passwords should be unique to each user and include some combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Never use obvious passwords like your business name, “12345” or “abcde.” Change your password every couple of months to be safe.
• Block potential intruders. Try to restrict computer use to business-only purposes. Viruses and malware invade business computers when employees visit personal websites. Make sure your system is up-to-date with the latest antivirus protection and firewalls capable of automatically downloading updates as they become available. Pop-up blockers and anti-spam filters can also help protect your system from unwanted “visitors.”
• Back up and recover information. Reduce your downtime in case of a system failure or a human error by placing protections that will allow quick access to data should any disaster occur.
• Restrict access. Encrypt sensitive electronic information wherever it is stored, and only give access to those employees who use it. Most computer operating systems come with basic encryption software already downloaded.
If you become a victim of identity theft, make sure to contact BBB, and we can give you the steps to reclaim what was stolen.
BBB’s mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior. For more information, please contact Erin Rodriguez, BBB media/PR coordinator, at 512-445-4748.
