For a small business, cyber attacks can cost them almost one hundred ninety thousand dollars a year.  The reason that small businesses are now having so many hacker attacks or data breaches is that many of them have no anti-spam software, no firewall in place, or no anti-spyware.  Most small businesses think about fixing the problem after an attack instead of preventing it from happening in the first place.

Here are some things that a small business can do to help prevent their business from become a data breach or identity theft statistic.

• Focus on the essential controls and make sure that you are using these controls across your whole business with no exceptions.
• Eliminate any unnecessary data by either discarding it the safe way or if you must keep it, then identify what it is, securely store it, and monitor it.
• Secure the remote access services by restricting services to specific networks and IP addresses.  Make sure that you minimize public access and that your business is limiting access to any type of sensitive information within the network.

• Make sure that your business is monitoring the users by limiting their user privileges, through careful screening, and using a separation of duties.  Managers should make sure that the employees are following security procedures and policies.
• Make sure that you are paying close and careful attention to any type of payment card input devices for any type of manipulation or tampering.  Some of these devices include gas pumps and ATMs.
• Make sure that you have excellent passwords from all employees because stolen credentials and passwords are out of control today.
• Make sure that your business stays up to date on all your security software such as your anti-virus software, any anti-spyware and make sure that your firewall is turned on.
• If any of your security software programs are not working or are out of date, make sure that you replace them immediately.

These are just a few tips to help small businesses not become the next hacker’s target.

That’s not all though – there are plenty of other things where an SSN comes in useful. For instance, you’ll have to supply your social security number when opening a bank account. It’s also required when applying for a driver’s license or a credit card.

Hence, it’s vital that you safeguard your SSN, because they’re one of the primary targets of identity theft.

Any establishment could ask you to produce your social security number, for eg. health clubs, utility companies, your doctor’s office, etc.). However, it’s not incumbent on you to provide it all the time. You can easily ask if you could use an alternative identifier. If they still insist on your SSN, it might be a good idea to take your business someplace else, because it is totally within your legal rights to be able to protect your social security number.

A few corporations have the right to actually demand for your SSN, too. These include the Tax department, the Department of Motor vehicles and the Welfare department. But keep in mind, that it’s always better to give your social security number only when it’s needed. The less it’s in circulation, the slimmer the chances of it being stolen.

If your SSN’s been taken in an identity theft attack, the thief can easily use it to obtain loans and credit cards. What’s more, he can apply for various amounts of credit in *your* name. The thief could even get himself some jobs using your number, and engage in criminal activities at the same time. In short, when an identity theft occurs and your SSN’s stolen, a thief can do pretty much anything he wants with it.

Now, you may not know your social security number’s been compromised, until you start receiving phone calls from collection agencies, ringing you up regarding debts that you didn’t incur…..or, until you get denied for credit.

Did you know?
Your child’s SSN is also at risk. An identity thief would love to grab hold of a child’s SSN, for the simple reason that he can use it for several years, virtually undetected. A great way to check if your child’s number has been stolen, is to get a credit report in your child’s name as well as his/her social security number. If you notice any activity been recorded on the report, it’s fair to say your child’s number is indeed being used. When this happens, you want to get in touch with the credit reporting agencies immediately, and request them to place a fraud alert on your child’s account. Next, you might want to file in a police report and contact the social security office.

Finally, keep in mind that your social security number is the most vital identifier you possess, so make sure you protect it from being caught to an identity theft attack!

There are a number of US government websites related to the subject of identity theft fraud resources, that’ll help you protect yourself from this evil crime. In this article, we’ll go over a few of them and check out brief descriptions on each site.

The very first website you should think of when it comes to identity theft fraud resources, is the FTC’s site. The FTC is one of the most important government departments you may need to get in touch with, in case you’re the victim of an identity theft attack.

The Federal Trade Commission offers a variety of identity theft fraud resources such as their ‘Detect and Defend’ brochure, which by the way, comes in a PDF format. You’ll also find plenty of useful links to many other identity theft resources.

Another great website is the IRS site which contains content on the same topic, including links to plenty of additional resources. Some of the information covered, include how your tax records are affected, what you should do if you feel you’re a victim of an identity theft scam, and what you can do to protect yourself from one.

The third major identity theft fraud resource is the US Department of Justice website. This site too has information plus links to a variety of identity theft resources. For instance, you’ll find content on what it is, what steps you need to take to prevent it from happening to you, and what the department is doing about it. There’s also a special section dedicated to what an identity theft victim needs to do. And, in this section, you’ll come across a lengthy collection of links and the contact details of many many resources that cover the same topic.

A large number of state specific government sites also contain identity theft fraud resources. Additionally, you could use the search engines to search for websites that cater to your state.

In conclusion, you’ll find some great links to identity theft resources on a host of government websites. You just need to set aside some time to explore the sites. Of course, the most important and the most quoted of these, is the website of the Federal Trade Commission.

And, for your convenience, here are the contact details of some popular identity theft fraud resources that might come in handy.

There are various types of identity theft such as financial identity theft, criminal identity theft, medical identity theft, identity cloning and business-commercial identity theft. The business identity theft against a small business may be completely crushing on the business and the owner. In many cases, the credit of the business and the owner’s credit are the same. The owner may be personally giving the guarantee of business loan or the line of credit. He may be using his own personal credit to provide the finance to the business. The ability of the business to continue to operate may be affected if the loan is denied due to the credit risk or the interest rates on the key credit accounts increased due to the universal default clause. If the business cannot be operated, then the owner’s ability to earn a living is at the high risk.

According to the 2003 amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act section 609, the identity theft victims should get a copy of the application or other transaction records associated with their identity theft free of cost. These records must be provided by the businesses within 30 days of receipt of the victim’s request. The victim should give the proof of identity which may include ID card issued by the government, the police report and complete affidavit.

All size businesses are vulnerable to the identity theft. But, it becomes very difficult for the small businesses to recover early due to lack of resources. The business identity theft may result in the ruined business credit ratings, damaged reputation, fraudulent loans obtained in the name of the company, large fraudulent purchases and illegitimate business deals made in the name of company.

Business identity theft has become more common now-a-days. Hence, it is very essential to protect the business from the identity theft. You should protect your business by safeguarding the proprietary information. Theft, embezzlement and other white-collar crimes are very easy. There are different variables to utilize the stolen information of your business.

Another way is to protect the customer’s privacy to prevent the identity theft. The consumer documents that contain the personal information can prove to be harmful for both business and the consumer if the documents fall in the wrong hands. The most utilized information includes old tax records, insurance documents, business records and medical & prescription drug information.

You should take enough care to protect your employee’s privacy. The identity thieves are on look out for minor details like anybody’s name, phone number, address, insurance and bank information and Social Security Number. These kinds of items are prevalent in most of the employee files.

How can I protect myself from it? Well, here are 7 effective tips on identity theft protection that’ll help you avoid being an easy victim to an identity thief:

* Tip #1:- Make sure you protect your SSN

Never carry around your social security card in your purse or wallet, because you never know when you might end up losing them. You could also get mugged, and then wake up to find your SS card missing. Also, do not write your social security number on a slip of paper or on a check.

* Tip #2:- Look out for your US postal mail

There’ve been many instances where identity theft crimes have been committed by snatching people’s content from their mail boxes, before they got home. So, to avoid this from happening, be sure to take in your mail as soon as it arrives…or you could also have your mail forwarded to a special PO box at Mailbox USA.

* Tip #3:- Keep your credit card safe

It sure seems convenient to let the clerk at the sports store take your card into the backroom, in order to process your credit card….instead of you doing it yourself, right?  Or handing over your credit card to the waiter/waitress at an eatery, so they can charge you for that sumptuous meal.

But you need to keep in mind that there’s an element of risk in letting your credit card out of your sight. Listen, how can you be sure they aren’t just skimming, but extracting super confidential info from it, instead?

That’s why experts say it’s always better to opt for cash – it’s much much safer than paying by your credit card. This is also one of the most popular identity theft protection tips, since identity theft is almost synonymous with credit cards.

* Tip #4:- Destroy all of your private documents!

It’s a good idea to get rid of all your confidential statements and documents when you no longer need them. If they are still lying around and identity thieves gain access to them, things can get pretty messy for you. (And this is something you don’t want happening, right?) So….get rid of unwanted forms, credit card solicitations – anything you feel that won’t be needed anymore. And oh, if you’re worried over an IRS audit, you needn’t keep records for more than 7 years.

* Tip #5:- Take off your name form telemarketing lists

You can easily add your personal phone number to the national ‘do not call’ registry, by simply ringing up 1-888-382-1222, which by the way, is toll-free.

* Tip #6:- Always take time to thoroughly review your credit card statements

Have you ever seen the way some folks out there scrutinize each of their credit card statements? Well, you should follow suit, because it’ll definitely protect you from identity theft! If you do not recognize a transaction, call your credit card company immediately.

* Tip #7:- Do not leave a trail of receipts behind

Whenever you happen to head over to those automated gas pumps at the gas station, or the ATM machine, you want to remember to not only take the receipt with you, but also, to destroy it once you get back home!

Well, there you have it – 7 easy tips on identity theft protection that’ll help you avoid becoming an innocent victim!