Identity theft is the fraudulent act of collecting sufficient personal information about an individual in order that their identity can be assumed for the purposes of carrying out some other illegal or malicious activity. It is also one of the fastest growing types of ecrimes, so stay alert!
Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.
Don't send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a web site's security policy or looking for evidence that the information is being encrypted. Signs of encryption include a URL that begins with "https:" and a padlock icon in the bottom of your browser window.
Security measures must be taken to ensure that your business records cannot be stolen for use in identity theft.
Install a firewall or anti-virus software.
