July 26, 2008
Anything Texas
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As if we don’t have enough to worry about, now we have to worry about people digging through our garbage. The Identity Theft Assistance Center has a new report identifying people with large amounts of home equity are becoming increasing targets. Home equity lines of credit is very appealing to these criminals because of the reserves. Home owners need to be diligent and check their accounts on a regular basis to ensure no tampering has occurred.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released their annual mortgage fraud report in April. In the report, home equity mortgage credit fraud is cited as an “emerging scheme” in the battled real estate and mortgage markets. Identity Theft criminals have long targeted people with poor credit. This practice came about with the emergence of the “sub-prime” market. If you are not familiar with the sub-prime market, it was basically a way for people who could not afford loans obtain loans. It required very little identification which made it a prime target of identity thieves.
Now that the lenders have seen the errors in their ways and tightened up their requirements, Identity theft thieves are looking for new avenues. These new avenues require going after people with good credit. Home equity loans are attractive because they are as easy to open up as a credit card account. All they need is a little bit of financial information. And where do they find it? You got it…..right there in your garbage can.
How this usually goes down……. thieves will pose as home owners online and request home equity accounts. After the account is opened, they will send a fax to the bank requesting a wire transfer. The bank unknowingly calls the crooks to verify the transfer. And in a blink of an eye the money is out of the account.
We are seeing a lot more requests from home owners requesting to be set-up on a quarterly schedule. We provide free security containers where you can drop your junk mail and all your other paper work to be picked up for on-site paper shredding. This service starts as low as fifty dollars per visit. People often overlook paper shredding and take an attitude of “it won’t happen to me”. Mobile document shredding takes about ten minutes to set up and we work to your schedule. Give us a call and see why we are the fastest growing paper shredding company in Houston.
July 21, 2008
Uncategorized
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I received a phone call from a guy the other night at around 8 in the evening. Usually I don’t take sales calls that late but wasn’t doing anything important at the time so I picked up. The individual asked quite a few questions and wanted us to come out first thing in the morning. Seemed a little odd to me, but I said that I could squeeze him in the schedule if he was willing to be ready at 7:30.
We arrived at 7:30, and met with the customer. He had his boxes in his garage ready to go. As we started to get things going I see the individual clicking photo’s every two seconds, kinda strange, but we sometimes have clients that need to log documents that have been destroyed. It took us about fifteen minutes, cost less then a $150.00 dollars.
So……..
I’m playing golf this past Sunday with a friend of mine. We were paired up with two other guys to make a foursome. During the course of the round, we were discussing each other’s professions. I brought up On-Site Shred and the one gentleman says “You need to contact that guy that was on the news the other night” I hadn’t seen the broadcast, so I asked if he knew the name. Right away he knew the name which I thought was interesting (people pay serious attention when their information has been mishandled). I told him that’s really odd, because I received a phone call from a guy with the same name the other night at a late hour and he needed shredding done first thing in the morning. We both agreed it had to be the same guy.
When I came back home I did a little research, and sure enough it was the same guy. The moral of the story - take a little bit of time and a little bit of money to protect yourself and your clients by hiring a professional paper shredding company. It’s a heck of a lot easier than dealing with a camera in your face and having to explain yourself to the Texas Attorney General.
July 12, 2008
Paper Shredding
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If businesses haven’t got the word, they need to pay attention. The Texas AG is very serious about protecting Texans from Identity theft. If you don’t have an active paper shredding policy, you are at risk….in many ways. Last week the Texas Attorney General’s Office issued new charges and announced a settlement agreement with EZCORP.
Austin based EZCORP, a payday and pawn lending company, has reached a settlement with the Texas Attorney’s General office in which it will pay the state a sum of $600,000.00. Now you may ask yourself, what would warrant a $600,000.00 settlement? Failure to do proper paper shredding! That’s right, EZCORP had improperly discarded customer records in the back dumpster. Had this been in Houston, they could have called a Houston shredding company, it would have taken about a half hour and cost them less than a hundred dollars.
July 8, 2008
Paper Shredding
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Corporate espionage is more widespread than you might think and it doesn’t just effect the big companies but small companies and workers. In 2005, 220 shipments of counterfeit materials were seized by border control agents. This is the equivalent to 4.8 million dollars of merchandise sold retail and a loss of more than 200 million dollars to US businesses. Internationally, it translates approximately to the monetary equivalent of 750,000 jobs annually.
There are many ways in which company secrets can be stolen. High-tech listening and photo devices can be used from 2000 feet away. Computers can be hacked into and email intercepted and corporate spies often try and infiltrate the company from within. According to an article in Businessweek (Joseph Pisani,October 2, 2006), corporations spend $95 billion on corporate security but the bulk of funding is focused on surveillance. Companies often overlook simple cost effective measures such as paper shredding.
Paper shredders are inexpensive security measures and prevent people from rummaging through the trash for valuable secrets and communications. The trash is the easiest place to access undetected for a stranger to the company it is also the least secured place, often not even having a surveillance camera. As a matter of fact, this method has long been successfully used by non-profits and investigative journalists. Trash is free game and it is surprising what companies throw away. Bev Harris, organizer of the nonprofit Black Box Voting, regularly used “dumpster diving” to find countless voting records that the government didn’t want in the public view. Investigative reporters have found billing mistakes, damning memos, and financial records to bring down companies.
In addition, employee records can be found by identity thieves and the information used to open accounts. This is particularly easy to do once the employer is known. Not only will this bring financial hardships to the employee but lawsuits can become costly. According to Reuters News Wire (January 10, 2008) Sears, Roebuck, and Co. is but the latest in a stream of lawsuits being filed over Identity Theft. There is a $5 million class action lawsuit over there management of information and that amount is likely to grow as the suit builds.
Small business identity theft is also an increasing problem. According to an article in Businessweek (July 23, 2007), “Some studies say there were as many as 8.9 million individual victims of business identity theft nationwide last year, and estimated annual losses approach $50 billion”. Imagine all of your business credit accounts maxed out after all the work you have put in to building your businesses’ good name. Now realize that a simple paper shredder and shredding policy can be an important step in stopping this from happening. Whether you use a Houston shredding company or buy your own shredder, Be Smart! Don’t throw your reputation out with the trash without protection.
July 7, 2008
Paper Shredding
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The Woodlands, TX – The Farmer’s Market is on hiatus until the Fall, but the paper shredding will continue. Due to the overwhelming requests from the community, On-Site Shred will have their truck at Grogan’s Mill Shopping Center this Saturday from 9 am until Noon. On-Site Shred is a Woodland’s based company and provides secure document destruction on-site. Your confidential information will be destroyed while you watch via video monitor. Residents and businesses are asked to remove any plastic or three-ring binders. Their shredder is able to shred right through paper clips, binder clips, and fasteners, so there is no need to remove those items. There is no limit to the amount of boxes people or companies can bring. Regular size file boxes are destroyed for $7.00 per box, and large file boxes are destroyed for $10.00 per box. After this Saturday, their truck might be moving to different Villages, so they ask that you please call their office at 281-292-2280 for information on their location or visit their website at http://www.shreddinghouston.net
July 5, 2008
Paper Shredding
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Why would I pay someone to do paper shredding when I can do it right here in-house? I hear this question a lot. And the answer is pretty simple. Why? Because it will save you money.
The Attorney General has made it pretty clear that he is serious about protecting Texans from Identity theft. Businesses found in violation of the strict new identity theft laws will find themselves not only getting beat up in the press, but writing a substantial check to the state and preparing for civil lawsuits. Using a professional paper shredding service that provides a certificate of destruction allows that company an audit trail and shows compliance with the new laws.
Another reason is time. When you are paying a person six figures you sure as heck don’t want that person spending their time at the shredding machine trying to figure out how to unjam it. You can delegate the shredding duties to a low level employee, but do you really want that person to have access to the company’s most sensitive information? I think not. And what’s worse, as you can read in the press, a lot of times that employee decides it would be much easier to just dump them in the back dumpster.
Stay tuned for part II on the advantages to outsourcing your paper shredding.
June 26, 2008
Houston, Paper Shredding
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There are many reasons to shred your important documents but perhaps the most important is protection from identity theft. Identity theft has become increasingly common over the last 10 years and according to the US Federal Trade Commission 9,000,000 Americans have their identity stolen each year. Identity theft is the act of one person assuming the identity (by using a social security number, credit card number, or other personal data) of someone else typically for monetary gain. In 2006, a large survey on identity fraud was conducted by the Council of Better Business Bureaus and Javelin Strategy & Research. That report found that the average criminal accumulates $6383 in money and merchandise per identity theft and the national cost of identity theft is 56.6 billion per year. It also found that 90% of stolen data was acquired through trash and other non-electronic methods, not through internet transactions and the age group most likely to have their identity stolen are 35-44.
There are many ways in which your identity can be stolen but the easiest is by the information most of us throw away. Many people don’t realize how often they leave their important information vulnerable but criminals are well aware and ready to take advantage rummaging through the trash for treasure. Credit card statements, bank statements, credit offers, utility bills, and other correspondence received by mail are prime targets for thieves.
Though most companies have become more careful about your information on correspondence, thieves have become better at fishing for information. A talented thief can take your statements and talk customer service representatives into releasing other information. For example, a woman may steal a mans information and then pretend to be his wife to obtain personal information. It’s also easy to reroute other information and offers to a different address where they then begin to set up accounts in your name. Once one account is opened the rest is easy. That account is used to obtain credit cards, credit lines, and even bank loans and accounts.
In 1998, The US Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. This act made identity theft a Federal crime that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. In addition, it allows victims of identity theft to seek monetary restitution and allows the Secret Service, FBI, and state and local police agencies to pursue the criminals.
The need for paper shredding in Houston is urgent. According to a report on KPRC Local 2 News (April 28, 2006), “identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States and Houston is the No. 1 spot for this crime in Texas”. In 2005 and 2006 Houston Police Department’s Financial Crimes unit had more than 32,000 cases open for investigation. If you are throwing any piece of mail away with personal information…you need to shred it! Simply tearing papers is not enough. Criminals are patient and will spend the time to reconstruct these pieces from your trash like jackpot puzzle. Using a shredder will make it impossible for criminals to use correspondence to steal your identity.
Personal shredders are inexpensive but can give you security that is priceless. If you have a small business or a large amount of documents to shred you may want to consider using a shredding service. These companies have locations you can take your document to to be shredded and will also shred on site for an additional charge. Most also recylcle the paper for the benefit of the environment.
June 22, 2008
On-Site Shredding in the Press, Paper Shredding
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Unfortunately, we live in a world where bad people are intent on doing good people harm. One of the ways they accomplish this is through identity theft. If you are discarding the following;
- receipts
- business correspondence
- credit and employment applications
- bank statements
- checks/money orders
- IRS-related documents
- employee files
- personal files
- medical records
- junk mail
- email/hard copy correspondence
in a trash receptacle, then you are putting yourself, and your clients security in severe jeopardy. The only acceptable practice of disposal is through paper shredding. Penalties against businesses who violate Texas’ identity theft provisions are substantial. The reason for these strict new laws is clear: They help protect millions of Texans from becoming the next victims of identity theft. On-Site Shred is Houston’s premiere paper shredding company. Let us work with you to develop a program that is cost effective and meets the security needs of your business.
June 2, 2008
Anything Texas
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From the Texas Attorney General’s website…..
New Texas laws underscore the need for businesses to be extremely careful when handling and disposing of their customers’ personal information. Simply exposing the information to the risk of identity theft carries some hefty penalties, irrespective of whether the information ended in the wrong hands.
Some of the most common ways in which businesses mishandle sensitive information is by failing to shred receipts and other documents with customers’ personal data before throwing them into the trash. Several large companies which have improperly disposed of records with information such as credit card and Social Security numbers faced swift legal action by the Attorney General. Our investigators conduct routine spot-checks around the state as part of ongoing enforcement efforts. This office also investigates other types of neglect by businesses, such as improperly safeguarded databases or Web pages through which consumers submit personal information.
Penalties against businesses who violate Texas’ identity theft provisions are substantial. For example, New provisions of Chapter 35 of the Business and Commerce Code require businesses to develop retention and disposal procedures for their clients’ personal information. The law provides for fines of up to $500 for each record that could potentially land in the wrong hands. And the new Identity Theft Enforcement Act could mean fines of up to $50,000 for each similar violation – even for a single record. Additionally, businesses that give consumers specific reassurances about how their privacy will be protected could face penalties of up to $20,000 per violation if they fail to live up to those promises.
The reason for these strict new laws is clear: They help protect millions of Texans from becoming the next victims of identity theft. The laws also help safeguard the business community at large, which is facing mounting losses as a result of identity theft.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country. According to federal statistics, more than 20,000 Texas families file identity theft complaints each year – and that number simply reflects those who are aware they are victims. For many consumers, it takes months or even years to discover they have been victimized, and by that point the harm against them is substantial. Nationally, it is believed that identity theft drains at least $50 billion from our economy – most of it attributed to losses businesses must absorb when identity thieves run up huge lines of credit and make other purchases under the name of their victims.
For consumers, becoming the victim of identity theft is an emotional nightmare. They often face countless hours filing police reports and communicating with merchants, credit card companies and credit bureaus to clear up their name. They must often defer important plans, such as purchasing a home or new car, and will find it exceedingly difficult to obtain lines of credit for months or even years.
Businesses are hit hard, too. With just a few pieces of a consumers’ personal information some criminals have been able to secure high-limit credit cards and even buy cars or homes under their victims’ names. Not only does this hurt the bottom line of the business community at large, but could ruin a small business if it extends large lines of credit to even a single identity thief.
Businesses understandably want to know what they can do to help prevent identity theft. Since a business’ size and the types of data it handles can vary widely, each business should carefully review its practices and put in place necessary measures that will prevent clients’ personal information from ending up in the wrong hands.
The following are some of the types of client information most susceptible to being mishandled or improperly discarded by businesses:
- Credit and debit card numbers
- Social Security numbers
- Bank account information
- Mother’s maiden names
- Passwords
- Dates of birth
- Account numbers within the business (i.e. membership number)
This information commonly appears in the following paper documents and electronic files:
- Receipts
- Refund forms
- Credit and employment applications
- Bank statements
- Checks / money orders
- IRS-related documents
- Personnel files
- Medical records
- Sweepstakes entry forms
- Email / Hard copy correspondence
- Disks, magnetic tape, and all other data storage devices
- Discarded computers
It’s important to note that Texas law does not take the age of the documents or information in question into account. For example, even if a credit card slip improperly thrown into the trash shows the number of an expired card, the business could still be liable under the law. Some businesses sued by the Attorney General erroneously thought that by purging documents that were many years old there was no risk to consumers. But when those files were shown to reveal full Social Security numbers, which are assigned for the life, it is clear that even “old” files can create new harm. Likewise, expired credit cards are often reissued under the same number, but with a different expiration date that an identity thief can figure out quickly through trial and error.
Each business should develop a thorough list of all the types of information it handles, who handles it, where that information is maintained and how it is disposed of when it is no longer needed. There should be clear written protocols about how to properly handle that information and how to dispose of it, which could mean:
Shredding applicable paper documents Permanently deleting electronic files Properly destroying / wiping old computers and data storage devices
Businesses should be particularly careful when disposing of storage devices and old computers. Simply hitting the “delete” button seldom erases data from a disk or hard drive permanently – savvy identity thieves can easily retrieve that information. Businesses should rely on their internal computer experts or consult with an outside vendor to explain proper permanent deletion of electronic files. It might be necessary to ask the vendor to professionally “wipe” or remove and destroy a hard drive before getting rid of an old computer or server.
Similarly, businesses that obtain consumers’ personal information through Web sites, such as accepting credit cards to purchase goods and services, should be especially careful that those pages are properly safeguarded. Because of the constantly changing nature of the Internet and the tactics used by hackers, it’s a good idea for businesses to review and update security measures for their Web sites and internal systems on a regular basis.
Businesses should constantly remind their employees and new hires about proper handling of their customers’ personal information. For example:
Restaurant waitstaff should be instructed to keep their eyes on customers’ credit cards and related receipts at all times, and not let these linger on an unattended table or bar.
Employees working for businesses that send this type of data electronically to colleagues should be reminded to double-check recipient’s address before clicking “send” on an email, to make sure they are not unintentionally sending sensitive information to the wrong people.
The threat of identity theft should be particularly impressed upon employees who travel with laptops, ensuring that the computers and disks are secure at all times, and any theft or other suspected breach should be immediately reported to management.
All businesses handling hard copies with any information that could be useful to an identity thief should keep those discarded documents in a safe place and shred them before throwing them into a publically accessible dumpster.
If in doubt, shred it. It’s going into the trash anyway.
It is also a good idea to send periodic reminders to employees, such as through email, newsletters, and clearly displayed signs. For example, some businesses that faced legal action from the Attorney General for improper document disposal agreed to send protocol reminders to all employees by periodically including corresponding notes in their paychecks.
The scenarios through which consumers’ information could end up in the wrong hands are clearly limitless, and the above are simply some examples and common-sense suggestions. Each business should develop procedures according to their size and type of information handled, and update those protocols the moment they realize new ways in which their customer’s sensitive data could fall into the wrong hands. Employees should therefore be encouraged to immediately alert management whenever they come across a situation that could put this information at risk.
The Office of the Attorney General encourages all Texans, individual consumers and businesses alike, to contact us if they discover a business that is not taking proper care of their clients’ information by calling us at 1-800-252-8011.
June 1, 2008
Anything Houston, On-Site Shredding in the Press
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While our main focus is providing Shredding route service to clients, we offer one time clean outs, also known as “Purge” service. Purge service is for companies or individuals that have accumalated documents through the years and are at the end of their lifecycle. For guidelines on how long to retain your records, please click here “Record Retention Guidelines”. You should always consult with your legal council before shredding any documents. Most of our clients who request purge service have their records stored offsite at storage facilities. Though our trucks are over 35 feet in length, we have never come across a facility that can not accomadate us. To schedule a time for us to come out to your storage facility, please call On-Site Shred at 866-584-0670
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