Sometimes it can feel like almost anyone can get a hold of our important information, but there are ways to safeguard both you and your customer’s information against those trying to fund it.
As a business owner and as a consumer yourself it’s hard not to worry about your personal and business information being used for the wrong purposes.
And because you are not only having to worry about your information getting out there but your customers’ as well, it puts extra weight on your shoulders to make sure everything is as secure as it can be.
But not to worry, there are precautions you can take to make sure secure information stays secure, while still being able to go about your daily life and run your business.
Here are five ways to keep you and your customers’ information safe, and make your customers feel like they can always rely on you and your business.
Watch your trash
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It’s crazy to think you have to watch what you throw away and how you dispose of documents and receipts, but in the world we live in that is a sad reality.
It’s important to be mindful of how you dispose of documents that might contain you or your customer’s important information such as card and account numbers, and the ones that have that listed need to be shredded so that information becomes illegible after their disposal.
And if you have electrical devices that you need to get rid of, make sure to wipe the hard drives before you throw them away or donate them.
Where you can encrypt
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When sending out information to customers, suppliers, or other business owners, make sure to encrypt the information.
This makes sure that no third party can intercept the information and use it to make unauthorized purchases or commit any other type of fraud.
If you have a business website – and let’s face it, most of you do – be sure to add the secure SSL encryption to protect yours and your website users’ information when forms and payment info are filled out online.
Be wary of strange emails
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Phishing or email fraud has become a big way for people to gain access to otherwise secured information, so be very careful when opening emails that look strange or appear to be from a reliable source and is asking you to input any type of personal information.
Make sure that if customers or business partners are sending you emails that they put the information only you would recognize in the email to know who it’s from or even have messages encrypt when necessary and possible.
Don’t overshare
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This includes sharing with employees, customers, friends, whomever; the more you share personal information even with people you think have your best interest in mind, the more likely that information will be shared and used in an improper way.
Giving access to programs containing financial or other important information to too many employees could leave you open to them committing fraud or even embezzling, and then you might need an embezzlement investigator like Brytan & Associates.
That information should only be given out on a need-to-know basis for a few people, and it should be changed often so that once people leave they don’t have the new information.