DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - As part of its second annual Office Depot Small Business Month, Office Depot, a leading global provider of office products and services, is offering consumers and small-business owners tips on how to protect personal and company information from theft.
"Office Depot understands the unique demands placed on small businesses, and therefore we know that information protection is an essential part of their business operation," said Chuck Rubin, executive vice president and chief merchandising/marketing officer at Office Depot. "By focusing on the three basic tenets of 'Shred it, Lock it, Store it,' Office Depot is helping our customers with the types of products and resources they need to help insulate their own business from the consequences of identity theft."
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TIPS ON INFORMATION PROTECTION |
Tip No. 1: Protect the key to your identity. ATM codes, passwords and, most importantly, Social Security numbers are key parts of your identity. You should safeguard personal, employee and customer information just like you would protect the key to your home. Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet unless it is needed that day. According to a new Office Depot survey on information protection, only 1 in 5 employed U.S. adults (20 percent) say they keep copies of their passport, license and credit card; only 23 percent say they keep valuable information locked in a file cabinet. Office Depot's Information Protection survey results are available online at by clicking here. Tip No. 2: Foil dumpster divers. At home or at the office, you're going to want to create an "information protection station" where you shred credit receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank checks and statements, old expired charge cards, and credit offers you get in the mail. "We've seen the market for shredders continue to grow as the need becomes greater," said John Lostroscio, Vice President of Merchandising for Office Depot. "Choose your shredder based on how often you use it (pages per pass), what you plan on shredding and how you want it shredded (strip, confetti or diamond cut)." The Office Depot survey on information protection showed that two-thirds (67 percent) of employed U.S. adults indicated they always shred credit card offers and/or convenience checks before putting them in the trash. Tip No. 3: Safeguard the information stored on your computer. For both personal and business reasons, computers should have the most up-to-date virus protection and firewalls installed. In a work setting, make sure to password protect files with personal, customer or employee data and only provide electronic access to those employees who need it. When handling electronic documents at work, make sure you take care to use special data destroyer software to ensure that deleted data cannot be recovered by thieves. Tip No. 4: Watch out for "phishing." Become aware of the vehicles that thieves use to trick you into giving out personal information. Never respond to unsolicited emails that are requesting personal information including credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and/or passwords. If you get an email that asks for this sort of information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine. Tip No. 5: Know what's going out. Keep track of not only credit card offers coming in, but also your outgoing mail with personal information inside. Tip No. 6: Become aware of the most current information handling laws. Become knowledgeable about the Disposal Rule of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) that becomes effective June 1, 2005. Also, familiarize yourself with the length of time you need to hold onto different types of documents and file or dispose of them accordingly. According to the Office Depot survey, 97 percent of employed adults don't know what businesses need to do to comply with the new law. 21 percent of employed adults say they keep documents for up to 1 year; 18 percent keep them for up to 5 years; 16 percent keep them over 5 years; and 7 percent say they keep them forever. 20 percent of employed adults say they keep documents for time frames shorter than one year. Tip No. 7: Report ID theft to catch it early. If you feel an identity fraud has been perpetrated against you, be a good citizen and report it so others may be spared the same experience. The FTC recently unveiled a new form, the ID Theft Affidavit, which can help identity theft victims provide information to banks, credit reporting agencies, and other parties. It is available online . The FTC also offers people the option to call 1-877-FTC-HELP to report identity theft. |
According to Rubin, as part of the month-long campaign, Office Depot is also working with Cathy Gordon, a leading expert on the proper handling and disposal of documents, and senior writer and analyst for the Consumer Media Group of CCH Tax and Accounting. Gordon and CCH are providing resources, guidance and practical solutions to the growing problem of identity theft.
Gordon pointed out that beginning June 1, 2005, many businesses and employers will be affected by new provisions of FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act) that deal with the proper disposal of consumer and employee information. Moreover, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the number of identity theft and fraud complaints grew to 635,173 in 2004, up from 516,740 a year earlier - an increase of almost 23 percent.
Many of these incidences of identity theft are attributed to businesses improperly discarding customer and employee data, according to the FTC. The Commission goes on to say, despite how costly identity theft can be for business owners - in terms of lawsuits, fines, and reputation - few are properly equipped to deal with the problem.
Under the Disposal Rule, a new provision of FACTA, companies can, among other things, implement policies and procedures that require consumer and employee information and documents be burned, pulverized or shredded, and electronic media containing these documents must be erased or destroyed.
Gordon, who specializes in issues that are of concern to employers, suggests that small business owners review applicable record retention requirements and become knowledgeable about which laws affect your business.
"Make sure that you are taking the right preventative measures to protect your business, your employees and your customers," Gordon said. "Have the right tools on hand and be proactive, not reactive. It will help you and your business steer clear of the potential repercussions of dealing with an incidence of ID theft."
During Office Depot Small Business Month, Office Depot is highlighting a variety of information protection protects for small business as well as offering resources on identity theft online. Visit OfficeDepot.com for more tips and information.