January 28, 2009
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.
In the past several years, law enforcement officials have seen an increase in the prevalence of phishing
and identity theft scams. As of 2006, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that the losses to businesses
and financial institutions totaled nearly 53 billion dollars annually. In the current economic climate,
we are likely to see increased use of these tactics. The articles below may help you prevent your organization
from becoming a victim.
With an Employee Identification Number (EIN), your company's identity can be stolen just as easily as your personal identity.
(Item #1)
As a business you have a responsibility to protect your customer's secure information,
but what about ensuring that your own business information is secure?
(Item #2)
Whether it's information about customers or information about employees, identity theft frequently becomes an HR problem.
(Item #3)
Small business owners are more susceptible to the scams and thievery because they are small.
(Item #4)
Phishing is a nightmare not just for the consumer recipients but also for the businesses whose brand names are being misused.
(Item #5)
Read about one state's experience with a new law designed to thwart ID 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
[email protected]
Best Regards,
Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp
Quote of the Week
"If we don't act now to safeguard our privacy, we could all become victims of identity theft."
- Bill Nelson -
Articles
1. ID Theft: Concerns for your Business
There are two major ways thieves get access to your business information. The first is the old-fashioned
method of digging through your trash. The second way thieves attempt to steal your business identity is by
using "phishing" emails to gather access information. What can you do to protect yourself?
http://www.amper.com/publications/review/F08-6-identity-theft-business.asp
2. How to Prevent Business Identity Theft
Identity theft is always in the news it seems, with stories about millions of credit card numbers
being stolen from a store computer system or a family whose financial life was ruined because someone went
through their trash and took their personal info. An often overlooked area of identity theft is that
of theft occurring against a business; stealing valuable information that is often worth far more than
one person's financial worth.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1141724/how_to_prevent_business_identity_theft.html?cat=3
3. Phishing, pharming and other means of ID theft
The statistics on identity theft are staggering. Recent surveys estimate that on average,
there are between 9 million and 10 million victims of identity theft each year. On average,
identity theft costs each victim $6,383 and 600 hours restoring his or her name and credit.
Surprisingly, 90 percent of all record thefts involve payroll or employment records.
http://www.blbva.com/blog/2008/06/13/phishing-pharming-vishing-and-other-means-of-id-theft/
4. Small Business Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself
Sadly, small business identity theft and phishing scams are a major problem for small business
that hardly anyone ever talks about and worse yet, the law hardly recognizes. But there are a few things
you can do to protect your business from having the thieves take advantage of it.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/443059/small_business_identity_theft_how_to.html
5. Protect Your Business from Phishing
The latest news about "phishing" is not good for small and mid-size businesses. Phishers - people who send
fraudulent emails and try to lure unsuspecting recipients into revealing confidential information
on a phony website -- are no longer impersonating only big commercial banks. They've started using
the names of smaller companies, too.
http://technology.inc.com/security/articles/200703/phishing.html
6. Businesses Brace for Costs under ID Theft Regs
After discount retailer TJX Cos. reported an enormous data breach in early 2007, the Massachusetts legislature
leapt into action, joining other states in passing a new law designed to thwart ID theft. Regulations enacted
under the law spell out the specific new steps that companies need to take to guard their data.
http://www.wbjournal.com/news42306.html
|
