November 5, 2008
These NewsBriefs are produced and delivered weekly by
Attainium to keep our friends and clients
current on topics relating to Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management.
Identity theft (IDT) is a problem that keeps growing, as thieves figure out new ways to steal personal
information from individuals and businesses. It can ruin people and businesses financially and, at the least,
can cause serious problems from it which it will take years to recover. The best thing you can do about IDT
is to prevent it. This week's articles provide some helpful information about what to do and what not to do
to protect the information you hold.
Identity theft can have a significant impact on the management, operations, financial credit,
public credibility, and income of a business.
(Item #1)
Regardless of the size-or nature-of your business, it is critical to know how to keep data secure.
(Item #2)
This guidance from the FTC can help you make smart, sound decisions if personal information you hold is compromised.
(Item #3)
The so-called "business bust-out" scam is one way sophisticated criminals steal business identities across the country.
(Item #4)
Here are five simple steps for companies to avoid being phishing victims.
(Item #5)
What can businesses do to prevent identity theft?
(Item #6)
As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns
with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic
you'd like to see covered, please email me at
bmellinger@attainium.net
Best Regards,
Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp
Quote of the Week
"According to the Privacy Rights Center,
up to 10 million Americans are victims of ID theft each year.
They have a right to be notified when their most sensitive health data is stolen."
-- Luis Gutierrez --
Articles
1. Identity theft: The business time bomb
Most everyone has heard of identity theft (IDT), yet unless you have been a victim, few people consider
that they are at high risk. An alarming figure is that over half of the 10 million new IDTs each year originate
from a place of business, employer, or other entity (not-for-profit or local, state, or federal government).
http://wistechnology.com/articles/3332/
2. Protecting Personal Information - A Guide for Business
Most companies keep sensitive personal information in their files-names, Social Security numbers,
credit card, or other account data-that identifies customers or employees. if sensitive data falls
into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud, identity theft, or similar harms. Given the cost of
a security breach-losing your customers' trust and perhaps even defending yourself against a lawsuit-safeguarding
personal information is just plain good business.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/privacy/bus69.pdf
3. Information Compromise and the Risk of Identity Theft: Guidance for Your Business
These days, it is almost impossible to be in business and not collect or hold personally identifying
information - names and addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or other account numbers - about
your customers, employees, business partners, students, or patients. If this information falls into the wrong hands,
it could put these individuals at risk for identity theft.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/idtheft/bus59.shtm
4. Identity Theft: The 'Business Bust-Out'
The "bust-out" is just one of the schemes fraudsters use to steal your business identity,
a crime that has gone largely unnoticed in a legal system focused on consumer ID theft.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2007/sb20070723_261131.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz+index+page_top+stories
5. Protect Your Business from Phishing Scams
Businesses are victims of phishing scams as well. Companies need to take steps to protect
their domains and their reputations from being exploited for phishing attacks.
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/secureyouremail/a/bizphishing.htm
6. 10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft
The Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus estimates the cost of identity theft to consumers,
banks, credit card firms, stores and other businesses to be $2.5 billion (CDN). As Businesses can
no longer afford to be lax about protecting customers' personal information - and their own.
(Business identity theft, like personal identity theft, is also rising significantly.)
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/insurancelegalissues/a/identitytheft.htm
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