Gilmore Blog https://www.gilmoreservices.com/blog/topic/identity-theft

Customer data in 2023 has never been more valuable for hackers. As the economy rises and falls, and programs like ChatGPT make malware easier to access than ever before, the pressure on organizations just keeps dialing up. It can be nerve-wracking for decision-makers who don’t want to take any chances.

It’s tax season, which means that you are getting tax forms in the mail, via email and downloading them from various employers, stock trading accounts, banks, and other accounts. You may be doing your taxes online. You should ensure that your data stays safe as it travels through cyberspace. All sites should be secure – they will have an “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP.” You should also use encryption for your email.

When someone steals your personal information and Social Security number, he or she can file a tax return and fraudulently claim a refund. If you are a victim of tax identity theft, you may not be able to file an electronic tax return. The IRS recommends filing a paper return if you cannot file an electronic return. The IRS should notify you if someone filed a tax return in your name.

It’s nearly the end of the year, which means the year-end paper purge is upon you. Now is the time you should start going through the stacks of paper you saved over the year. If this is the first time doing a paper purge, start with separating documents that are past their retention time and those that you need to keep longer. You can then file those you need to keep to make the year-end paper purge easier next year.

All employees who have access to confidential organizational data or private client or employee information have a responsibility to keep their computers secure, but employees who work remotely face additional risks and challenges. When working remotely, employees are more likely to use their computer for personal reasons, leave their computer unlocked and unattended, and connect to unsecured networks. Protecting confidential information when working from home can keep your organization, coworkers, and customers safe from the threat of identity theft. These tips and tricks can help.

Tis the season for school shopping, lunch box notes, bus rides, and - identity theft?! Unfortunately, the back-to-school season is a fruitful time for identity theft as vaccination records, free and reduced lunch applications, birth certificates, and other secure and confidential documents change hands, both physically and electronically. Whether you're scanning copies of vital records to your computer and then emailing them to the school or making a copy and sending it with your little one on the first day, you could be at risk of a breach. 

Identity theft is a draw for criminals, one that allows them to wreak havoc on people’s lives while being shrouded in secrecy. When tax season pops up, the stakes get even higher. All the information, from your Social Security number to your transcript, is often relatively easy to both intercept and capitalize on. The best thing for anyone to do right now is to be aware of how criminals function and who they target — because it’s not always the wealthiest people. In fact, it’s more likely to be an everyday person who just got a little careless about security. 

Confidentiality in the workplace has always been important, but modern offices have complicated the status quo. With every technology upgrade, the workforce is forced to adjust to new procedures and expectations. New workplace laws come out to set the standards for businesses and threaten serious penalties in the face of violations. As much work as it is though, confidentiality needs to take priority. The loss of information can mean anything from legal hassles to a complete shutdown of a business. To keep your livelihood protected, here are five tips to getting it right.

Many people believe that federal law always trumps state law, but this is not always the case. One such case involvesHIPAA regulations for medical records management.

Keeping your clients’ and employees’ sensitive information away from prying eyes is something every company should stay on top of. Even an inadvertent breach could result in hefty fines. You can protect data in your office, but what happens to that data after you’re done with it?

As a business manager or owner, you want to protect your client's confidential information, so you make the smart move and decide to work with a local shredding service company.  But is that shredding service provider AAA NAID Certified?

Smaller businesses often forego retaining a shredding company because they believe they do not have enough paper or digital media to shred. Gilmore Services provides shredding services for small and large companies by offering one-time purge shredding and ongoing shredding.

Did you know that the Federal Trade Commission ranks Florida as number 2 on the list for highest number of identity theft cases in 2017?  You can see the rankings from 2017 here. 

If information security is not at the top of your list, it should be. You could have to pay large fines should you experience a data breach. While most companies know about securing data, their employees may have some habits that open companies to identity theft and data breaches. Our five recommendations to create a more secure environment for company data include:

We’ve all had to adjust to a new reality thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the biggest changes has been that many of us are now working from our homes.

Are you worried about identity theft? If you’re not, then you should be – at least a little. It’s important to take precautions to protect your personal data from hackers and thieves.

Complying with HIPAA law is a requirement for all companies in the healthcare industry as well as all medical providers. If you’re starting your own business and HIPAA law affects you, you might be feeling overwhelmed at the thought of adhering to HIPAA regulations.

You swear you saved that .GIF to your hard drive for a reason — you know, that one of the cat playing checkers — but newly refreshed in the New Year you just can’t remember why.

Identity theft is a common concern for both businesses and consumers, and not without reason. A recent study found that $15 billion was stolen from 13.1 million U.S. consumers in 2015. In the past six years, identity thieves have stolen $112 billion.

When people think about identity theft, they might think it’s something that only happens in spy movies, or something that only affects the most unlucky, irresponsible among us. In fact, your first thought might be, “it can never happen to me.”

As an experienced records management company, we offer many tips for protecting your business and your customers through proper records management practices. With identity theft and other privacy concerns constantly in the news and new regulations affecting different industries all the time, every company needs to allocate time and resources for handling business records. 

Anyone can buy a desk-size paper shredder for a reasonable price. So how could it mean the death of your business to handle document shredding on your own?

Studies show that identity theft is on the rise. It was the single most common consumer complaint in the United States in 2014 with tens of millions of people affected.