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.
·
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.