Identity Theft and Phishing

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but if it's your organization that's being imitated, the results could be catastrophic. Identity theft, which is not limited to individuals, can cause businesses time and money and damage reputations. Read this week's articles to see how you can protect your organization from this threat.

Business identity theft seems to be a growing phenomenon. (Item #1)   Phishing and identity theft criminals get more sophisticated all the time. (Item #2)   Small businesses should be especially concerned about their vulnerability to identity theft. (Item #3)  

Here's a guide to protecting your business and recovering from business identity theft. (Item #4)   Is your organization a tempting target for identity theft? (Item #5)   This list of FAQs can help you protect your identity in the workplace. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp



1. Identity Theft's Latest Victim? Your Business.

In the past two weeks, I have been contacted separately by two local business owners to share how their business identity has been stolen and used to set up accounts with various companies on which thousands of dollars are charged and they (the actual owners) are left to pay the bills. There are no identity theft statistics on this type of crime, but I am certain that it is just coming onto the trend radar.
http://www.sileo.com/business-identity-theft-1/


2. Preventing Business Identity Theft

Before identity thieves can target consumers, first they must impersonate a trusted business -- perhaps your business. Prudent companies are learning to minimize the costs to their corporate reputations.
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/3013867


3. Protecting Business Owners from Identity Fraud

Identity theft may be something consumers are proactive about-but its small business owners that should be concerned. According to a recent survey, small business owners are victims of fraud at a rate of 15% more than the general population. Javelin Strategy & Research's 2011 Small Business Owners Identity Fraud Report found that in 2010, small businesses lost about $8 billion to fraud.
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/legal-hr/2011/05/06/
protecting-business-owners-identity-fraud/


4. Business Identity Theft Resource Guide: A Guide to Protecting Your Business and Recovering from Business Identity Theft

Business identity theft (also known as corporate or commercial identity theft) is a new development in the criminal enterprise of identity theft. In the case of a business, a criminal will hijack a business's identity and use that identity to establish lines of credit with banks or retailers. With these lines of credit, the identity thieves will purchase commercial electronics, home improvement materials, gift cards, and other items that can be bought and exchanged for cash or sold with relative ease.
http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/ProtectYourBusiness/BITresourceguide.html


5. Taking On Small-Business Identity Theft

An overwhelming majority of identity theft schemes take advantage of personal identification, but businesses and organizations are also vulnerable. But small and midsize companies can be tempting targets for criminals looking to exploit extensive credit lines, cash reserves, and business relationships.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jul2009/db2009079_858536.htm


6. Identity theft in the workplace: frequently asked questions

The answers to these FAQs may provide you with helpful information on how you can protect your identity in the workplace.
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_faq/In_The_Workplace_-_Frequently_Asked_Questions.shtml


Quote of the Week:

"The United States today experiences much higher levels of identity theft, spam and government profiling than Europe because we have failed to establish necessary legal safeguards."
-- Mark Rotenberg


Contact Us:

Attainium Corp
15110 Gaffney Circle
Gainesville, VA 20155
www.attainium.net