Every week, our goal is to use this space to help our community deter, detect, and defend again ID Theft. Here a 3 more tips to keep private information private! (1) Give Personal Information Over Encrypted Websites Only If you’re shopping or banking online, stick to sites that use encryption to protect your information as…
Keeping to our education theme, here are some more tips to protecting your identity-particularly as you operate on-line. (1) Use Security Software That Updates Automatically The bad guys constantly develop new ways to attack your computer, so your security software must be up-to-date to protect against the latest threats. Most security software can update automatically;…
Again, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to stay vigilant during tax season. Thieves who steal taxpayers’ personal tax-related information can use it to steal identities as well. To help prevent these crimes, the IRS offers the following suggestions. 1. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal…
We are all vulnerable to ID theft 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, there are times of the year when we need to be more vigilant about our surroundings. Tax Time is one of them. This is the time of year that all of your personal information is traveling through the mail….
As you review ways to streamline operations, outsourcing to a professional shredding service often makes a lot of sense for businesses large and small. Here are some reasons why using a Professional Shredding Service makes sense, and why to choose HV Shred, Inc. in particular: · First and foremost, if your office has a paper…
In the new year, it’s a good idea to add identity theft protection measures to your resolutions to make 2012 your best year ever. The following is adapted from the Identity Theft Resource Center website: 1. Lock up your social security card! Get it out of your wallet! Put this valuable card, along with all…
In the latest issue of Consumer Reports, the experts responded with a definitve yes when asked whether fianancial records for closed accounts of parents who died several years ago pose an identity theft danger. Quoting their response, “Thieves have stolen IDs of the dead, but your biggest risk is that there might be something in…
Maybe you got a new piece of technology for Christmas or Hanukah—enjoy! So you can keep enjoying your new gadget in 2012 and beyond (hopefully it doesn’t become obsolete too quickly…), please take precautions to make sure you are using the device safely. Firewalls are important as well as regularly updating anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-phishing…
We at HV Shred, Inc. love it when you can get a double benefit from a single action. Taking another page from the valuable resource that is Consumer Reports, this is a great tip to reduce your risk of identity theft AND reduce junk mail. One way crooks steal your name is by swiping preapproved…
According to a recent on-line article posted on The Consumer Reports website, the typically free protections still provide the most effective avenues to identity theft protection. Banks and credit-card companies are the largest providers of identity protection services, a market with $3.5 billion in revenues for 2011, according to a recent report by Javelin Strategy…