Identity theft is a federal crime. You’ve either probably heard about it in the news or might even know someone who has been an identity theft victim. It occurs when one’s identification is used or transferred by another person for unlawful activities. Identity theft is often committed to facilitate other crimes such as document fraud (34%), credit card fraud (17%), bank fraud (8%), or employment fraud (6%), which in turn can affect not only the nation’s economy, but its security.
According to the FBI, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes faced by consumers and businesses in the world with an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 Americans being victims each year. Law enforcement agencies refer to them as “inside jobs” within business organizations where clients’ personal information is stolen.
[wpsm_video schema=”yes” title =”CNN Reports: Employment Identity Theft ” description =”Victim Audra Schmierer Tells Her Story”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1UByRecO0[/wpsm_video]
On Vancouver Island, numerous naive customers paying for fuel through debit cards at a gasoline station were surprised to know that their card number and PIN were recorded first for a transaction and a second time for a thief. The thief was identified by the police as a former employee and was accused of 178 charges of fraud worth over $200,000 using card data. Victims were later reimbursed and the owner executed stringent procedures to prevent any future employment identity thefts.
Any subjective or factual data that you gather from employees or clients must not be used without the concerned person’s consent. It includes things like the individual’s name, age, address, gender, credit card numbers and bank account information (85% of cases), identification numbers, income, health records, personal references, assets and liabilities.
Generally, personal information excludes worker’s contact information of their workplace but can cover the employee’s e-mail addresses.
Most companies preserve personal information, but most do not implement a plan for keeping it secure which includes:
Privacy legislation requires all businesses to verify their security systems to ensure that employee or customer information is not used except for a stated purpose.
Learning everyday about the right to privacy, employees and customers are becoming apprehensive about giving information. Most of them are increasingly holding organizations at fault through law for not safeguarding their personal information.
To prevent businesses from losing their goodwill and consumer confidence, taking proper measures for reducing the risk of employment identity theft should be made a priority.
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I think that's a great idea about getting credit cards with your picture on them, because you can never really trust other people and companies to be careful about your personal information.
Hey Julian, my credit cards have a picture of me on them. It cuts down the chance of an identity thief using it. You can't trust anyone nowadays. I was a victim of employment identity theft, so it's a real issue. Always be aware.