Identity theft was the reason for stand-up comedian Bennett Arron owing serious amounts of money to phone companies, banks and department stores which left him penniless and homeless. That led him to produce a TV documentary called; ‘How To Steal An Identity’, and a book entitled; ‘Heard The One About Identity Theft?’ as well as comedy shows.
With the new EU Data Protection Directive coming into force in 2018, organisations will now, by law, be held responsible for their own data protection and with this mind, will need to be more security savvy and compliant, says Fellowes, a company selling workplace products including paper shredders and privacy screens.
From why document disposal is an essential component of doing business to the importance of securing sensitive information, even on the go; Bennett Arron shares tips on how to prevent prying eyes in the workplace.
1.Shred, Shred, Shred
In my TV documentary ‘How To Steal An Identity’, I uncovered a thrown-away bank statement and PIN which enabled me to directly access an account. So, don’t put any documents, bank statements, company data, credit card applications etc. into the rubbish bin. Shred them, as dedicated fraudsters have been known to painstakingly stick bits back together – and then put them in a recycling bin.
2.Don’t click the link!
Everyone has received a panicked email with the words ‘Please don’t open that link.’ Those emails that look so genuine, offering everything from free sunglasses to a tax refund. Or the ones from a bank, PayPal, or Apple to name a few, stating there is a problem with an account. Look at the email address carefully. It’s unlikely to be a genuine one. A recent one I had was from the Inland Revenue informing me I was owed a £435.89 refund. It did look genuine. The only give away, apart from the email address, was that it was signed ‘Love and Best Wishes, Inland Revenue.’ Clicking on one of these from a work account can instantly give access to a whole database.
3.What’s The Password?
Incredibly one of the most popular passwords is PASSWORD and one of the most popular PINs is 1234. It’s important to be creative, knowing that fraudsters set up automated mechanisms to unlock passwords. So the more obscure you make it, with upper and lower case letters and numbers, the more difficult it will be to unlock. You can still use a football team, a pet, or a favourite child – just add numbers to it.
4.Use Protection And You Won’t Get A Virus
Make sure you have anti-virus protection on your computers. Fraudsters are always that one step ahead but once a new virus is detected, most anti-spyware and anti-virus companies can add a protection update. If you sell company devices such as a mobiles, tablets or laptops, be sure to wipe the memory clean.
5.Careful What You Share, Like and Poke
Social media, especially Facebook, has given cyber criminals a whole new way to steal identities and access work accounts. Fraudulent links, scam offers and fake accounts are just one way of accessing data – in just a click. However, people are also putting too much information out there themselves. If you want to post your holiday photos – even though no one is really interested in seeing them – then do it when you are back home, not whilst you’re still away. Especially when you’re personal details show where you live! Lastly, on the subject of sharing, make sure you use a privacy filter on all devices, such as a Fellowes PrivaScreen™, when working in a café or on-the-go to keep those prying eyes and ‘shoulder surfers’ at bay.
Bennett Arron adds: “As a victim of identity theft – in fact the first major victim of the crime in the UK – I have experienced first-hand the devastating impact of losing everything to fraudsters. I also now know how easy the crime is to carry out and understand the importance of protecting businesses from it happening. Hopefully these tips to go some way to help increase workplace vigilance and encourage safe practice.”
