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PREVENTING IDENTITY THEFT
• First, work with your IT, legal, and HR departments to establish corporate policies for protecting employees’ identities, and enforce these policies from the top down.
• Perform background checks on all personnel with access to sensitive corporate data. Keep records of these background checks on hard copy only, and store them in locked files.
• Develop an encryption system for all computer-based information. Remove or encrypt as much personal information as possible from all computer files, especially on easy-to-steal laptops. PDA’s and other mobile devices.
• Upgrade company ID cards, business cards, and name badges to include the bearer’s photograph.
• Stop using Social Security numbers for identification purposes in routine customer interactions.
• Perform due diligence on business partners and suppliers, to ensure they are properly securing confidential information provided by your organization.
• Let customers opt out of receiving easy-to-steal paper statements, and rely on secure Websites instead.
• Shred all discarded confidential information, including all invoices and statements. For ID thieves, office trash bags are favored hunting grounds. At home, be especially vigilant when shredding preapproved credit-card offers.
• Suggest to you employees that they not carry Social Security cards, or any other cards bearing Social Security numbers, in wallets or handbags. While less convenient, it’s safer to store them in a secure place and carry them only when necessary.
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