It seems everywhere you turn another unsuspecting citizen falls victim to identity theft or at least some form of it. Maybe you're one of the unfortunate people that have experienced this. So short of becoming utterly paranoid and avoiding the internet altogether, take these simple tips to heart when transacting business online.
Never, EVER, email your social security number, tax ID number, bank account information, or any other type of identifying information to another individual or entity. The web is teaming with email phishing scams where someone poses as a reputable businesses or financial institution and requests personal information like
birthdays, SSNs, or account numbers to "correct" or "update" their records. Your bank or financial institution will have personal information such as your account numbers and SSN on file and would never need to email you for such information. Help your employees learn how to recognize email scams and phishing schemes. This will add yet another layer to your business security model and help protect confidential information. Check out managing editor Brett Callow's article on How to protect your business against a social engineering attack.
Never write down passwords or confidential information if you can avoid it. If you must write something down, be sure to shred it after use. If at all possible, avoid storing confidential information on a local hard drive as well. Despite what you may think, an individual familiar with computer hardware could probably pull a drive out of a system in less than a minute and be out the door with confidential business information (or worse, customer information) before you realize what's happened. Confidential information should always be stored on a server that is secured in a locked server room.
Finally, be conservative with online credit card use and other transactions that involve transmission of confidential information. When making purchases, make sure the website is credible. Check out the Better Business Bureau Online site for a list of trusted participants. If you're a business that will be taking care of customers, become a member. Your credibility will increase and you'll have access to resources that can help increase your business security. And it's important to stress the huge responsibility of handling customer information. Treat that information as if it was your own. The ramifications of letting it
fall into the wrong hands could haunt your business for years.
So Keep these simple tips in the front of your mind as you're dealing with confidential/sensitive information. Doing so will help you avoid falling prey to online deviants and provide a more secure environment for your employees and customers.