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How and What Business Documents to Destroy: Keep Your Business Legal and Secure.

Be Diligent About the Records and Files You Should Keep vs. Those that Should be Destroyed

Be Diligent About the Records and Files You Should Keep vs. Those that Should be Destroyed.

How many times have you had an important document in your hand ready to destroy, but hesitated because you didn’t know if you were breaking some regulation, rule or just an old wives’ tale about how long to keep that information?

Oh, “let’s just keep it”, you say… to be safe.

A year later those files you decided to keep now become boxes, and a year later those boxes have multiplied like rabbits. Now you’re contemplating storing them offsite, or worse, taking up precious office space with information that should be destroyed.

In this article we will give you some tips on not only what you should keep, but the best way to destroy it.

We have a caveat to this important subject: There are rules upon rules, and regulations upon regulations that the government has instituted. But, there are also rules and regulations in many industries such as banking, accounting, legal, healthcare, etc. For example, doctors are required to keep patient records for extended periods of time.

There are far too many rules to try to cover in this article, so always—always—check with your accountant or attorney if you are unsure what to destroy.

Retaining Tax Records Generates the Most Questions and Stress for SDD’s Clients.

There aren’t many documents that businesses produce that contain more sensitive information and get sent outside of the business than tax records.

When you file electronically, for example, isn’t there a moment of near-sheet terror before you hit that “send” button?

There’s no reason to keep tax records longer than is required.

The Internal Revenue Service provides great information on its website. Here are its general guidelines:

“The length of time you should keep a document depends on the action, expense, or event which the document records. Generally, you must keep your records that support an item of income, deduction or credit shown on your tax return until the period of limitations for that tax return runs out.

“The period of limitations is the period of time in which you can amend your tax return to claim a credit or refund, or the IRS can assess additional tax. The information below reflects the periods of limitations that apply to income tax returns. Unless otherwise stated, the years refer to the period after the return was filed. Returns filed before the due date are treated as filed on the due date.”

Many customers believe there is a “7-year rule” that applies to the retention of tax records. While a safe guideline, the IRS has more specific rules depending on your situation (https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-long-should-i-keep-records):

  1. Keep records for 3 years if situations (4), (5), and (6) below do not apply to you.
  2. Keep records for 3 years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later, if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return.
  3. Keep records for 7 years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction.
  4. Keep records for 6 years if you do not report income that you should report, and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return.
  5. Keep records indefinitely if you do not file a return.
  6. Keep records indefinitely if you file a fraudulent return.
  7. Keep employment tax records for at least 4 years after the date that the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later.

As for specific records you should keep the IRS recommends records that “clearly show your income and expenses”. While a broad statement, the implications are significant depending on your industry, as some industries have stringent rules on record keeping. Here is more information from the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/recordkeeping

There are Important Non-Tax-Related Records that Should be Retained.

While the IRS focuses on records that support your income and expenses, there are many, many, many more records in your files that need a decision made on whether to keep or pitch.

In an excellent article on smead.com (http://www.smead.com/hot-topics/records-retention-guidelines-1394.asp), they provided common sense guidelines for general information.

“Keep everyday paperwork for 3 years. It’s rare that anyone is going to want to see an electric bill or credit card statement dating back more than a year. But, you may choose to keep the following non-tax-related items for up to 3 years for internal use:

  • Monthly financial statements
  • Credit card statements
  • Utility records
  • Employment applications (for businesses)
  • Medical bills in case of insurance disputes”

Smead also identifies other types of records that don’t easily fit into specific categories, for example:

  • Car records (keep until car sold
  • Credit card receipts (keep until reconciled on your credit card statement)
  • ATM and deposit slips (keep until reconciled on your bank statement)
  • Insurance policies (keep for life of policy)
  • Pay stubs (keep until reconciled with your W-2)
  • Property records / builder contracts / improvement receipts (keep until property sold)
  • Sales receipts (keep for life of warranty or life of the item on large purchases)
  • Warranties and instructions (keep for life of product)
  • Other bills (keep until the payment verified on the next bill)

Onsite Shredding Ensures Your Important Documents are Securely Destroyed.

Holding important documents the required period of time is only half the challenge.

When you are ready to dispose of the documents, Secure Document Destruction of St. Louis recommends onsite versus offsite. The differences between the two are significant:

  • Offsite shredding. The service provider comes to your office (or residence), picks up your un-shredded confidential documents and materials, and takes them to a facility to be destroyed. For however long it takes that truck to get to the facility puts your important information at risk. The offsite service truck may make as many as 15-20 additional customer stops.
  • Onsite Shredding by SDD of St. Louis. SDD’s onsite document shredding services for businesses or onsite shredding services for residences eliminate the risks of offsite shredding. We use state-of-the-art mobile shredding service trucks that shred your documents in real time, in full view within feet of your business. SDD’s bonded, uniformed Security Specialists are there monitoring every step of the process. When we leave your office, your important information is destroyed.

Regularly Scheduled Shredding Greatly Reduces Your Risks in Destruction of Important Documents.

Whether your schedule is monthly, weekly or even daily, SDD’s process is secure:

  1. SDD places locked containers throughout your facility to hold sensitive materials to be purged.
  2. An SDD shredding service truck comes to your office on your schedule.
  3. The truck’s automated handling system securely deposits your confidential information into the truck.
  4. The contents are immediately destroyed while you watch via closed-circuit cameras. No information leaves your office without being destroyed… ever.
  5. You will receive a Certificate of Document Destruction before we leave your office.
  6. The destroyed materials are disposed of at a recycling center.

SDD serves clients in some of the most highly-regulated industries which have strict requirements for information security, such as accounting, legal, banking and healthcare.

SDD’s regularly scheduled services offer the most secure and cost-effective way to regularly destroy your important information and materials. Click here today for a no obligation quote.

Filed Under: Data Destruction

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Secure Online Shopping is 90% Common Sense.

Secure Online Shopping is 90% Common Sense.
Whether a business owner or consumer, your security risks at the holidays go up significantly.

As a consumer, you’re simply at a disadvantage against cyber thieves, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to maneuver around these bad guys.

As a business owner, as hard as you might try, your employees will shop online at work, putting your secure business information at risk.

Here’s the good news: as complex as it seems technology continues to get, the biggest defense against online security issues is most often common sense.

In our research for this article, we reached out to a company we trust—lifelock.com—and found some solid ideas below that are worth a few minutes of your time.

1. Shop at websites you trust

Expect a record year for online holiday spending this year. But shopping IRL—in real life—offers one advantage: You can usually be sure the business and the inventory exist. On the web, some businesses are fabricated by people who just want your credit card information and other personal details. To play it safe, consider doing online business only with retailers you trust and have shopped with before.

2. Check out the business

Did you find the perfect gift on an unfamiliar website? Break out your detective skills whenever you want to buy something from a new merchant. Does the company interact with a social media following? What do its customer reviews say? Does it have a history of scam reports or complaints at the Better Business Bureau? Take it one step further by contacting the business. If there’s no email address, phone number or address for a brick-and-mortar location, that could be a signal that it’s a fake company.

3. Beware rock-bottom prices

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other big sales along the way have become a tradition of holiday shopping. But if a website offers something that looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Compare prices and pictures of the merchandise at similar websites. Rock-bottom prices could be a red flag that the business doesn’t have those items in stock. The website may exist only to get your personal information. Bah humbug!

4. Avoid public Wi-Fi

You might be tempted to take your shopping spree to a coffee shop for a cup of joe. Keep in mind, Wi-Fi networks use public airwaves. With a little tech know-how and the freely available Wi-Fi password at your favorite cafe, someone can intercept what you’re looking at on the web. Shopping online usually means giving out information that an identity thief would love to grab, including your name and credit card information. Bottom line: It’s never a good idea to shop online or log in to any website while you’re connected to public Wi-Fi.

5. Use a VPN

Still can’t resist the lure of shopping online while sipping that peppermint latte? If you must shop online on public Wi-Fi, consider installing and using a VPN—short for “virtual private network”—on all mobile devices and computers before connecting to any Wi-Fi network. A VPN creates an encrypted connection between your smartphones and computers and the VPN server. Think of it as a secure tunnel your Internet traffic travels through while you browse the web, making your data safer from interception by nearby hackers.

6. Create strong passwords

If someone has the password to your account, they can log in, change the shipping address, and order things while you get stuck with the bill. Help keep your account safe by locking it with a strong password… “Santa123” won’t do. Here are some tips on how:

Use a complex set of lowercase and uppercase numbers, letters, and symbols.

Don’t use personal information that others can find or guess, such as birthdates, your kids’ names, or your favorite color.

Don’t use the same password—however strong—on multiple accounts. A data breach at one company could give criminals access to your other, shared-password accounts.

7. Check out website security

That small lock icon in the corner of your URL field tells you that the web page you’re on has privacy protection installed. The URL will start with “https.” These websites mask and transfer data you share, typically on pages that ask for passwords or financial information. If you don’t see that lock or the “s” after “http,” then the webpage isn’t secure. There is no privacy protection attached to these pages, so we suggest you exercise caution before providing your credit card information over these sites.

8. Watch out for email scams

Sometimes something in your email in-box can stir your holiday consumer cravings. For instance, it might be tempting to open an email that promises a “special offer.” But that offer could be special in a bad way. Clicking on emails from unknown senders and unrecognizable sellers could infect your computer with viruses and malware. It’s better to play it safe. Delete them, don’t click on any links, and don’t open any attachments from individuals or businesses you are unfamiliar with.

9. Don’t give out too much information

No shopping website will ever need your Social Security number. If you’re asked for very personal details, call the customer service line and ask whether you can supply some other identifying information. Or just walk away and find a better-known, accommodating website for your holiday buys.

10. Pay with a credit card

Attention, holiday shoppers: You’ll usually get the best liability protection—online and offline—when you use a credit card. Here’s why.

If someone racks up unauthorized charges on your credit card, federal regulations say you won’t have to pay while the card company investigates. Most major credit cards offer $0 liability for fraudulent purchases.

Keep in mind, your liability for unauthorized charges on your debit card is capped at $50, if you report it within two business days. But if someone uses your account and you don’t report the theft, after 60 days you may not be reimbursed at all.

You can also try a virtual credit card. Some banks offer this nifty tool that acts like an online version of your card. With a virtual credit card, the issuer will randomly generate a number that’s linked to your account, and you can use it anywhere online and choose when the number expires. It might be best to generate a new number every time you buy something online, or when you shop with a new retailer. Anyone who tries to use that number will be out of luck.

11. Check your statements

Robust holiday shopping can add pages to your credit card statements. Check your statements for fraudulent charges at least once a week or set up account alerts. When you receive a text or email about a charge, you can check the message and likely easily recall whether you made the charge.

12. Mind the details

The holiday season is a busy time, but it’s smart to stay organized. After you make the purchase, keep the receipt, order confirmation number, and postal tracking number in a safe place. If you have a problem with the order, this information will help the merchant resolve the problem.

13. Take action if you don’t get your goods

Call the merchant and provide the details noted in Tip 12. If the merchant turns out to be fake, or they’re just plain unhelpful, then your credit card provider can help you sort out the problem. Often, they can remove the charge from your statement.

14. Report the company

This is no time for holiday cheer. If you suspect the business is bogus, notify your credit card company about the charge and close your account. File a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC offers an identity theft recovery plan, should you need it.

15. Make a resolution

It’s smart to practice safe online shopping during the holidays. But the holiday season doesn’t last forever. Make a New Year’s resolution to shop safely online year-round.

Get a no obligation quote

Filed Under: Identity Theft, Security

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8 Simple Tips to Protect Your Small Businesses Data

Our digital business world certainly has its positive attributes, but you must protect your small business data.  We can hold video conferences with clients across the country, or send documents to co-workers instantly no matter the time of day.

As long as we have wi-fi, our office can be anywhere.

That’s scary.

Unfortunately, as incredible as the technological advances are, it has become far too common to wake up in the morning and read about yet another massive data breach that disrupts a large organization with an important online presence.  All the while, disrupting innocent and unsuspecting customers using their service and leaving their suffering in their wake.

This doesn’t just happen to big companies.

All it takes is one employee mistake.  Whether it’s an executive using the wrong Starbucks wi-fi or your assistant making the misstep of sharing hisProtect Your Small Business Data Tip 1 or her passwords.  One simple slip can put your small or medium business at the top of the list for a security breach.

 

We at SDD want to minimize the risk your employees face to being subject to a security hack.  Therefore, we’ve compiled the five worst corporate security breaches of all time, how they happened and some important tips so this won’t happen to you.

Educate your employees about the latest phishing scams attempting to infiltrate your network.  Use SSL certificates for your website’s transaction security.  These act as padlocks to thwart identify thieves from stealing your sensitive information.  Also, make sure you have the proper malware blockers installed to your network, these security systems protect your business from destructive viruses.  And, always keep your employees in the know of the latest password rules and regulations for your business.

So please, read carefully and never stop working to keep your small business safe.

#5: eBay

The fifth on our list, the digital buying and selling giant, and one of the most widely used services in the history of the internet.

Here’s what happened.  Targeted eBay employees were sent phishing emails, which are fraudulent messages appearing to come from legitimate sources, in attempts to get them to divulge sensitive information.  When these employees clicked on the embedded link, malware was installed on the computer and the attacker gained control of their computers, eBay’s network, and all customer information.

Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 2What’s troubling here is that their database was hacked between late February and early March and the breach was not detected until May, allowing hackers access to eBay customers’ names, their encrypted passwords, email, registered addresses, phone numbers and date of birth.

Within five months the hackers breached a total of 145 million user accounts.  However, eBay and its users were all fortunate the hackers did not gain access to PayPal’s financial information, thankfully leaving customer purchase data safe.

Phishing attacks have become increasingly common in the business world and a key strategy for thieves to gain access to secure information.  However, thieves are taking it one step further by using new social engineering tactics.  The thief will send a phishing email to your employee, and then follow up with a phone call, making the interaction that much more believable.  The call will always be used to persuade the employee to click on the link, which would install the malware.

If it can happen to eBay, it can happen to your business.  At a minimum you should have an SSL certificates to protect your transaction activity and malware blockers installed.

For more information on keeping your digital sector of your small business secure please visit https://www.godaddy.com/web-security for a variety of different layers and tactics that can and will help identify and prevent your company from being breached.

#4: LinkedIn

Back in 2012, LinkedIn was the victim of an unauthorized access and disclosure of more than six million members’ passwords.  The security breach gave hackers access to users’ email addresses, passwords and other information. Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 3

LinkedIn’s IT security responded immediately and required a mandatory password reset for all the accounts it believed were compromised. Not all employees complied.

Very shortly after the first breach, the LinkedIn security teams became aware of a second massive breach.  Despite LinkedIn’s enhanced efforts to protect user passwords—called salting and hashing—the Russian hacker known as “Peace” was able to infiltrate LinkedIn’s system, which resulted in an overall breach of a staggering 117 million LinkedIn members.

Even though LinkedIn’s security and IT departments had taken major precautions by hashing and salting every password in their database, which is adding an additional piece of code that encrypts the user’s information, it was still accessed.

We suggest you do two things right away.  First, visit a small business expert like https://www.godaddy.com/web-security for more information on how to properly protect your business and your customers’ digital information.  Second, tell your employees to reset their passwords with some type of phrase only they would know and make sure they’re always on the lookout for phishing scams.

For your personal or business hardware and paper destruction needs, please visit https://sddestruct.wpengine.com/business-document-shredding/ we’d be happy to help.

Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 4#3: Myspace

While Myspace is no longer making headlines, breached user data never really dies.

In 2014, a large set of stolen Myspace usernames and password combinations were discovered available for sale in a dark web online hacker forum.  Myspace tracked the information and was able to trace it back to Peace, the same Russian hacker who infiltrated LinkedIn the same year.

The original reports stated that there were more than 360 million accounts breached.  Each record contained an email address, password, and in some cases, a second password.  Security researchers stated that it was the largest data breach of all time.

Much like LinkedIn, the passwords were salted and hashed.  Myspace’s security force confirmed that the breach had no effect on any of its other platforms, apps, subscriber information, or other media properties, nor did the leaked data include any confidential financial information.

A near-foolproof option for employees is to use more complicated passwords (like phrases only they would know), reset them periodically, and take advantage of password management tools like https://www.lastpass.com to help keep track of your logins.

For any additional questions, please contact us. We’d be happy to help.

#2: Yahoo

You may want to be sitting down for this one.

In sheer size, it’s the most widespread data breach in history.  In 2013, it was first reported that email usernames and passwords of around six million of its account holders had been breached.

Yahoo’s PR and tech security teams swiftly dealt with the issue, notifying users with emails to change their login credentials. Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 5

At the time, Yahoo believed it had nipped the problem in the bud.

However, throughout the Verizon merger process in 2016, Yahoo discovered the security breach had affected every single user account that existed at the time.  Not six million, but three billion users!  Three billion, and the majority of those were not notified that their account was hacked.

The sad truth is that if you had a Yahoo account from 2013 to 2016 your account was hacked.  Plain and simple.  The names, email addresses and passwords, of your and my email accounts were breached.

Yahoo still has not provided any information about the suspected hackers.  They required multiple password changes and invalidated unencrypted Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 6security questions to protect user information.

Our tip to you, for any questions or concerns for your business, check out https://www.godaddy.com/web-security/website-security for expert advice on small business web security.

Remember, try to have your employees consistently update their passwords and implement multiple step authentication on all their accounts.  Make sure they’re not accessing confidential information on shared or unsecure wi-fi connections, and always have conversations about the latest tools and tactics to avoid the ever-present phishing scams.

If you ever have any questions or concerns about hardware destruction, please see our article on hard drive destruction.

#1: Equifax

You couldn’t have traveled far enough away to escape hearing about its monumental mistake.  Without a doubt, Equifax’s breach is the most significant data breach in history. Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 7

This breach wasn’t so much about the quantity of customers effected, but the quality and importance of the content that was breached.

Where almost all digital IT thefts in the past have involved stolen email addresses, phone numbers, and login credentials, Equifax’s information was much more sensitive.

Plain and simple, this 143-million-person breach went to the core of some of the most important information about Americans: names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and in some instances, driver’s license numbers.

 

More than two months went by before Equifax reported the breach.  Once again, even with a highly sophisticated security team and an immense budget, they still were targeted.  If your business is ever the unfortunate victim of a security breach—immediately—contact a small business security expert like GoDaddy, or visit https://www.godaddy.com/web-security/malware-removal for an efficient and effective strategy on virus removal.

Protect Your Small Business Data Tip 8A greater emphasis on privacy helps create a culture that values security and employee privacy.  Keeping your business secure will take a combination of security tools and employee education if you are to stay ahead of thieves.

If you have any questions, concerns, or tips, we’d love to hear from you.

Please visit our website at www.sddstl.com or if you’d like to learn more, give me—John Steinhauser—a call at (314)795-0004 or email me at john@sddstl.com

And, stay safe out there!

John Steinhauser, co-owner, Secure Document Destruction of St. Louis (SDD).

Filed Under: Data Destruction

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Help Avoid Identity Theft – Educate Your Employees

It’s no secret, your employees use their work computers to scour the internet on company time. However annoying that is to business owners, they generally look the other way. As you’ll read, that annoying reality could very well lead to a security breach, so it’s time you educated yourself and your team on the cold, hard facts.

Avoid Identity Theft

Fact #1: Employees are the #1 cause of all company security breaches.

Your small business amasses a wealth of incredibly sensitive information about everyone who walks through your doors or hits your website.  Having that valuable information put in jeopardy can turn into a long and costly process to fix, not to mention potentially embarrassing to you and the business.

We’ll explore the seemingly harmless part of your employees’ daily lives that could put your business and, more importantly, your customers’ information at risk for a breach.  We’ll also provide tips to protect yourself so your business isn’t added to the ever-growing list of organizations that have had their security breached in 2017.

We’ve all heard the saying, “work smarter, not harder.”

Owning your own business is tough.  There are countless hours spent towards hundreds of different tasks across every part of the business.  If data security isn’t near the top of your priority list it should be, because the dangers are real and your employees’ mistakes can be very costly.

Fact #2: Identity theft and fraud attacks against small and mid-sized businesses skyrocketed from 18 percent in 2013 to 31 percent in 2015 and the numbers are on the rise.

Unfortunately, however much interest we put into security and discovery innovations to create an in-depth defense strategy, the reality is one wrong click from an employee innocently surfing the internet can instantly hand over your sensitive information to an identity thief.  The small mistake of opening a seemingly harmless email can upload a virus to your hardware and go unnoticed for weeks, if not months, causing irreparable damage.

Fact #3: Only 29 percent of companies with fewer than 10 employees are acting to protect against security risks.

Less than one third!

Are you part of that 71% that don’t?

There’s as much as $1 billion a year stolen from small and mid-sized businesses in North America and Europe and the numbers are only going to increase, says Mike Gross, global risk strategy director with 41st Parameter, a business fraud prevention firm owned by the credit reporting giant Experian.

Here are five must-take steps to make it tougher for offenders to steal your valuable information:

  • Use an EIN: As a business owner you may operate as a sole proprietorship under your Social Security number, even if your business has employees.  Just because you have the freedom to do so doesn’t mean you should.  It’s generally safer for sole proprietors to use an EIN.  Keeping your business and personal finances separate is a must for several reasons, including identity theft prevention.
  • Protect sensitive files: From bank statements to tax returns, your business likely has paper and electronic files that hold sensitive information.  Use a secure mailbox, shred documents you don’t need, and keep sensitive files in a locked area or other secure location to avoid theft.
  • Be proactive: It’s crucial to use passwords or restrict employee access to certain documents.  Establish a clear protocol to follow in the event of a data breach, including assigning an employee to manage the breach and devise what actions need to be taken.
  • Try to avoid the “bring your own laptop” trend: Countless companies now allow employees to use their personal computers, cell phones and other devices for work. This presents risks to a small business where, for example, an employee brings a compromised device into work and accesses secure files.  Unfortunately, you’ve just allowed a trusted employee to unknowingly compromise your sensitive information.
  • Check statements regularly:  This is one of the best ways to halt fraud before it gets out of hand.  Experian and other credit reporting agencies offer monitoring services that can help.  It’s also a good idea to assess your banking agreements to determine whether your business accounts have protection against fraud.  In addition, review your insurance policies to see what coverage you have in case of a data breach.
  • Despite the best efforts of many businesses, data security trends are headed in the wrong direction.  We looked back at hundreds of events throughout 2016 into 2017 to identify the top causes, in hopes we can try to limit the numbers for 2018.

 

Business Identity Theft Cases Rising

We pulled data from the IRS and found business identity theft cases rose 250 percent through the summer of 2017.  For example, the U.S. recorded 4,000 business identity theft cases in 2016, and through August this year it’s 10,000 cases and climbing.  When you put that into numbers, business identity theft caused $15.3 billion in damage in 2016, up from the $13 billion in 2015.

When we took a closer look at the underlying issues that allowed the identity theft incidents to occur, we found one common thread: Attackers are increasingly relying on phishing emails to sidestep IT security systems.  It’s an inexpensive, but highly effective attack route to gain access to an otherwise well-secured network. Social media outlets, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, provide a treasure trove of information for attackers to identify and target employees with carefully crafted phishing emails.

Here’s another example: Criminals and IT thieves are constantly producing fake social media pages and disguising themselves as someone who seems like another person in your industry.  They reach out to connect and look as reputable as anyone.  Remember to take a minute before you accept their request.  Always be proactive in screening people, because you never know if they’re a legitimate contact just trying to expand their network or a potential security threat trying to access information about your business and how to infiltrate your company.

So…What should all this mean to you?  What should your business do?

Truth be told, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.  How you address the human component of data protection requires execution of several technical, managerial, and procedural precautions, unique to your business.  Below are some guidelines and tips to keep in mind:

  • Data security awareness and training: Dispose of old devices, but first wipe the data. Train your employees and take part in programs with companies who handle sensitive information, like Secure Document Destruction of St. Louis.  Your organization’s information security policies and procedures should be part of the onboarding process and included in periodic training. These programs should be continuously updated to address the constantly evolving threat as well as staffing changes that could impact data privacy and security.  For more information on these topics please visit the FCC website @ https://www.fcc.gov/general/cybersecurity-small-business
  • Simulate phishing tests: Try testing “data breaches” by sending phishing attacks on employees.  You are a step ahead by training users on how to identify and avoid phishing messages.  It could help your organization measure the vulnerability of your employees and identify the ones that need additional training.  There are many resources available, such as NTP Security Enterprises, a premier St. Louis company that specializes in these types of programs.  Visit them @ https://ntpcybersecurity.com for more information.
  • Fully encrypt your devices and storage: The regularity of stolen devices containing sensitive information will continue to rise as more users store sensitive data on their laptops, mobile devices, and portable storage devices. Always implement complete encryption on all devices that contain sensitive data.  Visit the link below for a list of 2016’s top software systems for your business. https://www.pcmag.com/business/directory/encryption
  • Use data loss prevention software: Your sensitive data can be breached by mistake or malicious intent.  Data loss prevention software is intended to prevent users from sending sensitive data outside your network without authorization.
  • Clearly define employee access rights and privileges:  Employees should have access to only the data they need to do their job.  If you must allow them access to sensitive information, it should only be approved for the minimum time necessary.  Never forget to enforce strong standards for user identities and passwords.

Avoid Identity Theft - Security Breaches

When security breaches make headlines, they are often about corrupt groups in other countries. These kinds of stories are exciting to read, but they mask the reality that most breaches are caused by an action or failure by someone inside the company.

To this point, when we’ve mentioned employee mistakes causing security issues, we’ve been referring to honest people making honest mistakes.  There is another side: those employees who want to damage you.  It’s the threat you’d never expect.  They normally will fly below the radar of many detection technologies and can erase evidence of their activities to further deter investigations.

It’s a perfect crime.

Fortunately, the rise of Artificial Intelligence makes spotting insider threats easier and less invasive.  These technologies help businesses detect and prevent potential hacks and security threats to their systems.  Their cognitive processes are able to continually learn and make reliable decisions based on the data that your business is taking in.  However, even with advances in technology, you and your managers need to be aware of what to look for and how to focus security efforts to get the greatest returns on protection:

  • We are creatures of habit: Your employees come to work at the same time and do familiar tasks.  The same can be said for how they use and interact with technology.  Uncover abnormalities in behavior at the level of individual employees, making it much easier to spot when your security has been compromised.
  • Security is constantly evolving.  Educate yourself on your security risks, and screen at-risk employees.

By covering your basics, you can and will make the biggest impact on theft.  Every extra precaution you take, makes you that much less susceptible to theft from a person or an organization stealing your precious information.

Don’t forget the fundamentals:

  • Use an EIN
  • Protect your sensitive files
  • Be proactive.
  • Always make sure you’re the first to know.
  • Try to avoid the “bring your own laptop” trend
  • Check your statements regularly

These basic guidelines can have a significant impact on reducing your vulnerability to a data breach.

So, after reading this, we at Secure Document Destruction of St. Louis (SDDSTL.com) hope when you see the next scandalous headline about some Equifax’ian breach by an external hacker that you remember that these major attacks account for less than half of the breaches out there.  As you now know, the thief probably used the identity of an unsuspecting employee to pull it off.

Act now to make sure your organization isn’t the next one in the headlines.

If you have any questions, concerns, or tips, we’d love to hear from you.

Please visit our website at www.sddstl.com or if you’d like to learn more, give me—John Steinhauser—a call at (314)795-0004 or email me at john@sddstl.com

And, stay safe out there!

 

John Steinhauser, co-owner, Secure Document Destruction of St. Louis (SDD).

Filed Under: Identity Theft

by

Be In The Know: 22% of Students Fall Victim to Identity Theft

Don't Fall Victim to Identity Theft

Don’t Let Your Children Fall Victim To Identity Theft When Heading Back To College

Summer is almost over.  The days are getting shorter.  Another school year is ready to kick off, if it hasn’t already for your family.  You know what that means… forms, forms and more forms:

  • Enrollment
  • Scholarships
  • Sports teams
  • Greek life

The list goes on and on.  As eager as they may be to start another year with friends and classmates, someone else is just as eager for a new school year to start.

  • Hackers
  • Scammers
  • Online predators
  • Identity thieves

A new school year means a wealth of new online and paper data left subject to theft.

Many universities claim to have gone “paperless,” which may save time and prevent human error mix ups, but the sad truth is, there’s still countless amounts of documents sent that can and will leave opportunities for someone to invade your child’s privacy.

We’ve scoured countless government surveys and calculated that a staggering 16 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2016. The Javelin report highlighted that $16 billion was stolen from consumers.  That’s an average of $1,000 per person!  As parents ourselves, the most painful aspect of the Javelin report was that student identity theft numbers are skyrocketing.

When the Secure Document Destruction St. Louis team dug deeper, we realized the vast majority of this theft was related to instances in which family, friends, roommates, and acquaintances are a risk factor for your child’s secure information to be stolen.

“Often people who know you have access to your personal information,” said Al Pascual, director of fraud and security at Javelin. “If they live in the same place, they may have access to information you leave lying around the house; they can intercept phone calls meant for you.”

Most college students apply for their first job, open a bank account, make online purchases and apply for financial aid, all of which require personal information such as a Social Security number, date of birth, home address and sometimes much more.

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft and the numbers coming from the college sector are only rising.  As they get started, consider these tips for keeping your child’s personal information safe.  Don’t let your student join the nearly one million Americans affected by identity theft.

  • Safeguard his/her SSN. Make sure they’re not carrying their Social Security card with them. Always have it locked away and put in a secure location.
  • Have their personal documents destroyed.  Always have your child destroy any piece of paper with their personal information.
  • Fill out the simple form below to download our top 10 tips for avoiding identity theft.

At SDD we want to make sure you and your child are taking the necessary precautions to avoiding identity theft.

SDD realizes that the act of trusting, oversharing, or not adequately protecting access to your student’s electronic devices are the most common mistakes they can make with regards to handing out their personal information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A FREE QUOTE, CONTACT US.

 

Filed Under: Identity Theft

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