Thursday 19 September 2013

Identity Theft Threats to Businesses

Do you own your own business or are a key executive of a company? Then you have increased risks over the average consumer of having personal information such as credit and bank accounts, as well as social security number identification theft happening to you. If you run your own small business then your identity is tied directly to your business identity. Anything that impacts your business will directly impact your life and that of your family.

Visit Here To Know How Identity Theft Threats to Businesses !

·         Identity thieves can steal money and income directly from hacking into your accounts. This could lead to failure to make payroll or tax obligations as well as substantial layoffs.
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      Any business loans, credit cards, lines of credit and other accounts require your personal guarantee from you and the other business owners. Identity thieves can open fraudulent business accounts that eventually get sent to collections and you are liable.

·         Anything criminal tied to your credit account is also tied to your name. Your reputation and business practices will come under scrutiny and employees may feel their own information is not being protected.

Take steps now to prevent identity theft

As an owner or executive it is very important to know how to prevent identity theft ina business. Most likely you will have access to your employees’ social security numbers. Not only do you need to protect your own personal information but it is your duty to make sure that no one else has access to this information about the people who work for you. Never be afraid to do extensive background checks of employees who will be doing payroll for you, or will have your business bank account information. Anyone doing your accounting should be someone you have a strong trust in.





Who are you hiring?

The other thing to make note of involves your hiring practices and your expectations of your employees in the office or workspace. Be wary of employees who previously worked at a rival competitor company. Although you might be eager to possibly learn some trade secrets of your rival it is not an uncommon tactic for companies to send their own scouts, spies, and saboteurs to cause problems amongst the crews of their rivals. There have been cases of people being hired to sensitive positions while still being employed by a competitor. The purpose was to gather intelligence and cause their rival some problems. Meanwhile they just appeared like an inept employee.

You are your company’s best line of defense

Check your business accounts regularly with your own eyes if you typically hire an accountant. As the head of your company everything should be fully disclosed to you and only you. Anyone who desires access to certain accounts should go through you first and last. Don't give out your employees’ information to anyone. Any online transactions and electronic payments should be done on secure websites. Change your online passwords, security and access codes, as well as lock combinations regularly.

Learning how to avoid identity theft in business is the first step, but learning how to stop identity theft in business once it’s occurred is an entirely different animal. Sadly only a small percentage of thieves are ever caught, and even less are convicted. Visit www.legal-yogi.com today to learn more about identity theft and how to deal with this crime. Call them for a free consultation at 1-800-397-1755.