Tips to Combat Office Theft

By Aaron Gerard
The most common mistake people make is assumption. We always have the notion that identity theft happens by computer hackers who steal our money, credit card, banking, social security, and other information over the web. The truth of the matter, lots of identity theft cases happen right in your office! These perpetrators are often people you come in contact with at work. They can also be people who have access to your personal information, whom you are not in contact with.

Private information is stored about you everywhere. Think about the last time you visited the doctor. You had to give them your social security number, date of birth, and current address. All this information could be used to apply for a credit card in your name and you just became of victim of identity theft. Many of these places do not even provide any security measures to prevent identity theft! However, you can make sure that this private information is not stolen from you right in the workplace, and you fall victim to identity theft. Or, maybe you just want to send this email to your doctor's office who still keeps folders unlocked and scattered all over his office.

These 5 tips will help you keep your money and information safe, and keep it out of the hands of people who could steal from you!

1. Under no circumstances leave sensitive papers out on your desk. File folders are great to store sensitive information.

2. Once you gather all this sensitive information together - lock it up! There are dozens of different locking filing cabinets you could buy, which will prevent identity theft.

3. Shred it! Do you keep personal employee information out for Otto the garbage man to see? If you don't need it, then shred it. There are plenty of personal use and business shredders to choose from.

4. Don't forget your cash! If petty cash on hand is over $500, use a money safe. Sentry Fire Safes are a great place to store money and keep it out of the hands of unwanted culprits.

5. Lastly, use data storage devices and lock them up! If you have sensitive data stored on your work computer, with easy access, than you will need a USB flash drive.