Ways to Prevent ID Theft
It is always good to destroy important documents after they have served their purpose. This may include your credit card numbers or any other kind of personal information that could be used by 'posers'.
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Well over 7 million people had filed identity theft complaints in 2006. Keeping this in mind, certain laws have been enacted. You should destroy completely all documents that contain any kind of personal information. It could be burned, pulverized or shredded. Likewise, if you have a business, and someone else's information has been leaked out because of your negligence, they could sue you.
Identity Theft Laws
According to certain provisions of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act or FACTA, you can view your credit report at least once a year. According to the provisions, there are federal fines of nearly $2,2500.00 and state fines of $1,000 for non-compliance. In the case of any breach in information security, Individuals stand to suffer huge losses. FACTA basically aims to protect organization and consumer privacy, which includes credit information, corporate trade secrets and medical records.
The following are some of the penalties to businesses specified by the National Association for Information Destruction or NAID, a paper-shredding industry trade group:
• Civil Liability: Due to your negligence, if important employee information is leaked, you have to pay for the damages. This could result in a payment of nearly $1,000 for statutory damages.
• Federal fines: $2,500 for every violation.
• State fines: $1,000 for every violation.
Investing in a commercial paper shredder is a lot cheaper than paying fines. Personal shredders are available at $15 to $250, whereas office shredders are priced at $2,000+.
Different Methods Of Theft Prevention
Financial data is not the only kind of information that needs to be secured. The following are also in need of being safeguarded from theft and misuse:
• Bank information
• Canceled or blank checks
• Budgets
• Credit card offers
• Employee evaluations
• Credit card information
• Income tax records
• Financial statements
• Investment information
• Insurance coverage
• Medical records
• Legal papers
• Personal bills
Your garbage can may be full of waste - according to you. But, as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Too often, people dispose important information in convenient garbage cans, without realizing that this is the best place for thieves to get their hands on valuable information.
It is very important to stop being irresponsible and begin destroying important information thoroughly. Criminals make use of any sloppily discarded information. To be on the safe side, you should use a document shredder or hire a document shredding company. Whether you have information saved on CD's, digital records, key tapes, plastic films, ID cards, microfiche, key tapes or floppy disks, there is a shredder suitable for all the material.
The majority of offices have some sort of paper shredder for destroying documents. There are three common designs to a paper shredder: standard strip cutting, ultra security cutting, and highly effective cross cutting. If your business goes through a lot of paperwork (and who's doesn't?) you may want to consider a professional paper shredding company. They will most often leave you a can to place your documents in and they take care of the rest, while abiding by all security laws.
Related Tags: identity theft, id theft, theft prevention, id theft prevention, id theft law, paper shredding, docu
Andy Lawson and Southland shredding, a California document shredding services company, work to prevent information security issues by providing collection centers and mobile shredding services for the secure document destruction needs of Southern California companies, government offices or individual privacy protection.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Phishing Baits - Is Someone Phishing for You?
Phishing is a term that you have probably heard before if you have been around the Internet for any - Identity Theft is the Fastest Growing Nationwide Fraud Today
Last year nearly 10 million identity thefts were reported, alone, in US. It is a nationwide growing - Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Identity Theft
Identity theft is the least understood of all problems, though this assumption of our identities for - How To Prevent Your Mail Being Used In Identity Theft
One of the methods that criminal get your personal information is through your mail, this can either - Drastically Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft
This whole identity theft thing gives you the creeps, right? You're not only infuriated by, but terr - Where Have All The Corner Mail Boxes Gone? Identity Theft
Have you ever had a credit card stolen? Have you ever had your wallet stolen? Have you ever had your - Identity Theft - A Few Tips To Think About
When people think of identity theft, they usually think of having their purse or wallet stolen. The - Stop Identity Theft for Good
Identity theft is one of the most agonizing crimes that can happen to you if you have built any type - Your Credit Cards May Be at Risk - Few Tips to Prevent Credit Card Theft and Fraud
More and more people are using credit and debit cards when they go shopping. It is convenient to jus - Identity Theft Help - Lock out The Thieves
Millions of people will need identity theft help because their identity has been stolen this year an
Most viewed articles in this category:
- California Man Faces 101 Years in Prison for Identity Theft
A man in California is facing a prison sentence of up to 101 years after a jury found him guilty of - Voice Recognition for Avoiding Credit Card Fraud!
However, the main annoyance this product shows is that due to the built in microphone, a loudspeaker - Identity Theft: 9 Tips Which May Help
Identity Theft: 9 Tips Which May Help1. Phishing Scams Awareness - these often take the form of e-ma - Am I a Victim of Identity Theft?
Being a victim of identity theft is something that everybody should dread. Identity crime is increas - We Can All be Victims of Identity Theft
Identity crime is particularly on the increase and can have far-reaching and devastating consequence - Identity Theft White Paper from McAfee
A recent white paper released by McAfee entitled "Identity Theft" shows that there has been a dramat - Identity Theft - The Time Bomb On Your Desktop
Way back at the very birth of PC software, programmers faced a major dilemma and that was, just how - Repair Your Identity Theft Problems
If you have been a victim of identity theft, have you gone through the process of restoration? No? t - Protecting Yourself from Identity Fraud
Your identity is extremely valuable. You need it to prove who you are for various purposes in your - Increase in Identity Theft Reports
McAfee reports a dramatic increase in computer security breaches leading to the loss, or potential l