When I think about identity theft my mind immediately goes to someone cloning my credit card or hacking my online bank account and either spending my money or pretending to be me to gain some other advantage in a criminal way. Worrying thoughts and the figures pertaining to victims of these kinds of crimes seem to be permanently on the increase. Personal identity theft from individuals is not the only criminal problem in this area either. As we have all read in the news, personal data being acquired illegally from corporations such as Sony and even from the government is something we now know is not beyond the realms of possibility.
This lead me to think about the data held in my office on individuals and what is being done to protect that. Staff, customers and suppliers details are all held on computer and some in paper files as well. We are all aware of the laws protecting data assets, but what is the reality in an average workplace, and what is the actual plan to ensure data safety? A key piece of office equipment in recent years is the office shredder. Perfect for destroying sensitive information and keeping the filing cabinets clear of clutter there is hardly a business out there now who doesn’t own one.
In the digital world there are of course software programmes which perform a similar task and act as a shredder of data in order to reduce electronically stored information to a form from which details cannot be retrieved. Clever stuff this, and again ideal for anyone who is holding onto files like hot potatoes and needs to make sure they don’t end up in the wrong hands.
Whatever the data in your workplace, protect yourself, your company and anyone who does business with you by making sure you take the potential threat of identity theft seriously. With a few simple steps you can make sure you are not a target and give yourself peace of mind.