Georgia Businesses Take Note: National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month

This month is National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month, and that brings up a major concern for individuals and all types of businesses. Georgia was recently ranked as the sixth most vulnerable state in the entire nation to identity theft. That means that business owners in this state have to go to extra lengths to make sure that their sensitive information is protected and thoroughly disposed of when the time comes. Here is a look at how paper shredding through a professional document destruction company can help you with identity theft prevention in Georgia.

Identity Theft Prevention in Georgia

The recent report from personal finance site WalletHub used a number of statistical metrics to determine which states had the highest vulnerability to identity theft across the board. Georgia not only ranked sixth overall, but ranked very low in complaints of identity theft, credit card fraud, bank fraud, government document fraud, employment fraud and utilities fraud per 100,000 residences as well as in overall cybercrime-related losses and data breaches.

These numbers are staggering and a major concern. Residents of Georgia must be extra careful, because such low numbers mean that not only are there security problems present, but that criminals will be targeting our state.

Avoiding Identity Theft

There are several steps you can take to help avoid identity theft and fraud issues. The first is to make sure that your staff have strong passwords and that your email encryption is solid. The more secure your computer systems are, the less likely you are to be the victim of data theft. Two-step account verification using photos, key phrases or security questions are highly recommended.

Use of active credit monitoring is also recommended. This way any time someone attempts to get credit in your name, you can be notified for verification. Few people and businesses take this simple step, but it can be a life saver overall. Finally, use common sense. Don’t open attachments if you don’t know what they are. Beware of phishing scams—if, for example, you get an email saying there is an issue with PayPal, do not click on any links within the email. Navigate to PayPal and check for yourself.

Professional Document Destruction Services

Destruction and disposal of sensitive information is a vital part of your security. Most businesses have reams worth of sensitive and private information that eventually must be disposed. Simply dropping it into the office shredder might not cover you. Calling a professional document disposal service like Proshred will allow you to have the peace of mind knowing that exactly the files you need removed are utterly and thoroughly destroyed. Best of all, you will get to watch the entire process so you can be sure it was handled in a professional and secure manner.

If you would like more information about how professional document destruction can help your security against identity and data theft, read about our Atlanta, Georgia document destruction services, and get in touch with us today for answers to any questions you might have.