Personal protection against ID theft improves security in the workplace

Your workplace is full of confidential information and if that information falls into the wrong hands your reputation is at risk. In addition your staff and customers may be at risk too.

According to actionfraud.police.uk fraud losses to SMEs were are estimated at around a staggering £19 billion a year.

Fortunately, there are simple measures you can take to protect your business. The best form of prevention is by developing a culture of security within your organisation.

One of the best ways to develop a security awareness culture is to encourage staff to consider their own personal protection and what would happen if they suffered a breach of their security.

Experience shows that as staff improve their own protection they will become more aware of the need for information security in the workplace.

Here are 10 ways you can help your staff protect themselves from ID fraud:

1. Take care when providing personal information on the phone or online.

2. Many frauds start with a phishing email. Do not open any suspicious emails.

3. Destroy all receipts and personal paperwork when no longer required.

4. Keep all documents and papers stored in a locked box in a secure storage area.

5. Clear all data from PCs when obsolete and destroy the hard drives.

6. Use complicated passwords. Combine capital letters and numbers and change them frequently.

7. Share as little personal information as possible on social media.

8. Use a locked mailbox and request important information is delivered by secure means.

9. Carry minimal amount of personal information in your wallet/bag.

10. Always PIN lock your phone and other mobile devices.

By making staff more aware of their need for personal security your are also helping develop a culture of security within the work place – a win:win situation.

There are many way to develop an awareness of the need for information security but linking personal safety with security in the workplace is a good start.

Topwood are experts the secure handling of confidential information and are certified with information security ISO27001. To help you identify any security gaps in your organisation try our risk assessment.