January 29th marks the beginning of 2024 Identity Theft Awareness WeekBut consumer-conscious companies promote identity theft awareness and prevention 52 weeks a year. As the FTC, federal and state agencies, consumer groups and others sponsor events across the country and online, here are three things businesses can do to increase identity theft awareness among customers, employees, and community members. indicate.
Implement healthy data security practices. Discussions about information security often focus on arcane technical issues, but let's not lose sight of what the issues are for many data criminals. The key is to obtain the personal data necessary to perform impersonation. The FTC has filed nearly 150 lawsuits challenging companies' lax data security. The lawsuit details the missteps that led to the breach in the first place, including poor password policies, negligent network monitoring, poor supervision of contractors, and insufficient employee training, to name just a few. There is. But court documents may not tell the whole story about the devastating impact these companies' flaws have on consumers. People affected by identity theft often have to spend months or even years repairing their reputations and cleaning up the mess made to their personal finances.
An easy way for your business to be part of the solution is to not be part of the problem. Do not collect personal information unless there is a genuine business need. Safely store what you need to maintain and safely dispose of it when your business no longer needs it. The F.T.C. Guidance for businesses – include Cybersecurity resources for small businesses – Helps protect consumer data.
Reach out to someone who has experienced identity theft. Helping people recovering from identity theft is about more than just good customer relationships. It's the law. If a consumer discovers an unauthorized charge on their account and believes your company has made an unauthorized transaction, Section 609(e) of the Act Fair Credit Reporting Act Relevant records must be provided. The law allows you to obtain proof of their identity (such as a driver's license), but it is illegal to re-victimize them by going through the hoops to obtain the necessary documents. is. According to FTC enforcement action, a national retail chain failed to respect its FCRA provisions and paid a $220,000 civil penalty.read Companies must provide transaction records related to identity theft to victims and law enforcement Learn more about legal compliance.
This is a suggestion from a national retailer. When people visit customer service counters to retrace their steps in search of lost wallets or missing credit cards, the company has copies of the FTC's brochure available. Lost or stolen credit, ATM, or debit cards and What you need to know about identity theft.
Spread awareness about identity theft through your social networks. Identity theft doesn't just harm consumers. It's also bad for business. In addition to billions of dollars being lost to fraudsters each year, identity theft takes a huge toll on the well-being and peace of mind of affected customers, employees, friends, and families. That's why we're asking you to help us raise awareness about how to prevent identity theft and streamline the recovery process. The F.T.C. Shareable Identity Theft Awareness Weekly Resources – Includes videos and other visuals – Can be posted on social media. We have a new book coming out, so How to spot, avoid, and report identity theft in your languageavailable in Multilingual. moreover, Identity Theft Awareness Weekthe FTC and partners will host podcasts and webinars aimed at general audiences, as well as events focused on military members, seniors, youth, and business owners.
Do you know someone who is dealing with identity theft? Lead them to IdentityTheft.gov To get them started on a personal recovery plan.
