GennGlobal gives some insightful advice on how to be vigilant with identity theft.

1. Thoughts
and
inspirations
from
“WHAT YOU SHOULD
KNOW ABOUT
IDENTITY THEFT AS A
SMALL BUSINESS
OWNER”

3.  Identity theft is coming a more and more common form
of crime in our digital age, where it is so easy to steal
someone else’s credentials and effectively “become”
them.
 As a small business owner, you need to have at least a
passable amount of knowledge on this topic; not only
to help yourself, but also to keep your business and your
customers safe!
 Next, we will explain a few things that every small
business owner should know about identity theft.
INTRODUCTION

5.  Your credit card number isn’t required to have your
identity stolen. In fact, one can simply steal sensitive
bank information, even if it doesn’t include your credit
card number, and still have enough data to assume
your identity.
 ATMs are another avenue of attack that some hackers
can use. With the right technology, hackers can obtain
all information entered into an ATM—your credit card or
account number and PIN number is enough, then it is
too late.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT IDENTITY
THEFT

6.  There are many scammers that might try to trick you by
setting up phony websites. These scammers create
seemingly legitimate websites and prey on victims that
mistake their websites for that of their real bank or
credit union.
 This is important to know as a user, but also something
that you should remain vigilant of as a small business
owner who likely has a website for their business. Don’t
let your customers get fooled!
HOW TO REDUCE STRESS IN THE
WORKPLACE

8.  Operate your business with a separate tax identifaction
number (TIN) from your own. In this way, your business’s
taxes and yours will be separated. Not only is this a best
practice, but it protects both entities by keeping them
separate—if they are linked, both will become
compromised if either one is attacked.
 Take great care of your business’s sensitive documents,
and consider getting all of your statements
electronically, as they are more difficult to steal.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS

9.  Keep a constant eye on your business’s bank accounts
and sensitive accounts so that you’ll know the instant
something goes wrong.
 Lastly, avoid having one “master user” or aggregated
set of credentials that contain the vast majority of your
business’s sensitive information. While this may be
convenient, your business will be devastated if this
account becomes hacked.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS