MARYLAND BANK DUMPS IDENTITIES INTO TRASH

ABC2 News – Rodgers Forge, Maryland

ABC2 News investigators recently discovered that an M&T Bank branch in Rodgers Forge, Maryland improperly disposed of documents that should have been shredded. These documents included social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank accounts, and other sensitive information that should not have wound up in the dumpster. When contacted by the media M&T stated that the discovery was a clear violation of corporate policy, and pledged to conduct an extensive internal investigation…

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FLORIDA SHREDDING

MicroShred

Secure Mobile On-Site / Off-Site Document Shredding

SOUTH FLORIDA SHREDDING DIRECTIONS

MicroShred, South Florida, provides both mobile and plant-based destruction of confidential documents. Our mobile shredding units can come to you and shred all sensitive material at your location, under your supervision. Click here to read about our South Florida Shredding Services.

If you are interested in plant-based destruction, you can get directions to Florida’s Document Shredder MicroShred Inc. from the following places :

All directions are from South Florida going to:
MicroShred Inc.
19593 NE 10th Ave.
Miami, FL 33179-3577, US

We also provide Shredding Services to the following areas:

• Atlantis
• Boca Raton
• Boynton Beach
• Briny Breezes
• Broward County
• Cloud Lake
• Deerfield Beach
• Delray Beach
• Fort Lauderdale
• Glen Ridge
• Golf
• Greenacres
• Gulf Stream
• Haverhill
• Highland Beach
• Hypoluxo
• Juno Beach
• Jupiter
• Jupiter Inlet Colony
• Lake Clarke Shores
• Lake Park
• Lake Worth
• Lantana
• Loxahatchee
• Manalapan
• Miami-Dade County
• Miami
• Palm Beach
• Palm Beach Gardens
• Pompano Beach
• West Palm Beach

Corporations Still Unfamiliar with Laws Governing Information Privacy

A recent survey reveals that while corporations are spending more money in an effort to safeguard personal information, many corporate leaders say they are unfamiliar with key federal and state laws governing information privacy.

The survey, conducted on behalf of Boston-based Iron Mountain, targeted companies with annual revenue of at least $750 million. The survey polled 115 business professionals involved in or responsible for information privacy at publicly held companies.

According to the survey’s findings, companies believe they’re more familiar with federal requirements for information destruction than they actually are. While nearly three in four respondents (74 percent) express familiarity with federal requirements, fewer than one in three (30 percent) are aware of the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) Disposal Rule. The FACTA Disposal Rule mandates that organizations properly dispose of documents containing consumer information through methods such as burning, pulverizing or shredding so that the “information cannot practically be read or reconstructed.”

The survey also reveals that nine in 10 companies outsource their shredding, while more than half (57 percent) also rely on on-site commercial-grade shredding or incineration equipment. But fewer than one in four report compliant destruction of consumer information (24 percent) or audit-compliant policies and procedures (23 percent) based on best industry practices.

Two in three companies (66 percent) say it has become more important to formalize policies and procedures for destroying sensitive information. Those companies cited new laws (63 percent), negative press of data losses (43 percent), customer demand for information security (29 percent) and pressure from industry groups (28 percent) as the top reasons why.

(Source: sdbmagazine.com)

11 People Charged In TJX Identity Theft Case of 45+ Million Personal Identities

11 people, including even a confidential informant working for the Secret Service, were charged in connection with a case involving illegally tapping into the wireless payment processing systems of the following retail outlets:

• TJX (TJ Max)
• OfficeMax
• Boston Market
• Barnes & Noble
• Sport’s Authority
• DSW
• Forever 21
• BJ’s Wholesale Club

Besides tapping into the wireless networks of these major retailers, the thieves were successful in setting up programs that captured card numbers, passwords and account information from a massive amount of unsuspecting consumers.

While TJX admitted to 45 million consumers were negatively impacted from the two year period the identity thieves had unauthorized access to their payment processing data, court documents revealed the real estimate was closer to 100 million consumers confidential data was compromised based on depositions by Visa and Mastercard.

The ring leader, a Miami man who was also the confidential informant for the Secret Service, turned out to be a double agent who had been providing criminal’s information about ongoing investigations and tipping off associates.

With the massive amount of credit account access information stolen and provided to worldwide identity thieves, this case involving TJX has a big impact in our personal identity and financial safety.

Information Protection Is A Vital Issue To Senior Management

In a survey conducted by the Conference Board, top executives from 300 companies ranked the security of company records as one of the top five critical issues facing business. When asked which issues required immediate attention and policy development, the security of company records ranked second only to employee health screening.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.

Internal Personnel Should Not be Responsible To Destroy Certain Information

Common sense dictates that payroll information and materials that involve labor relations or legal affairs, should not be entrusted to lower level employees for destruction. But, beyond that, competition sensitive information is best protected from them as well. It has been established, time and again, that employees are the most likely to realize the value of certain information to competitors. And, lower wage employees often have the economic incentive to capitalize on their access to it. The only acceptable alternatives are to have the materials destroyed under the supervision of upper management or by a carefully selected, high security service.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.

A Certificate Of Destruction Does Not Relieve A Company From Its Obligation To Keep Information Confidential

Any company contracting an information destruction service should require that it provide them with a signed testimonial, documenting the date that the materials were destroyed. The >certificate of destruction<, as it is commonly referred, is an important legal record of compliance with a retention schedule. It does not, however, effectively transfer the responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of the materials to the contractor.

If private information surfaces after the vendor accepts it, the court is bound to question the process by which the particular contractor was selected. Any company not showing due diligence in their selection of a contractor that is capable of providing the necessary security could be found negligent. And, from a practical standpoint, if proprietary or private information is lost or leaked by the fraud or negligence of a vendor, the obligations of that vendor are irrelevant. The firm whose information falls into the wrong hands stands to lose the most, either from loss of business, prosecution or unfavorable publicity.

Since a business cannot transfer its responsibility to maintain confidentiality, it must be certain that it is dealing with a reputable company with superior security procedures. Unfortunately, there are those information destruction services that provide certificates of destruction while having no semblance of security and, in some cases, no destruction process available to them. Anyone interested in contracting a data destruction service is advised to thoroughly review their policies and procedures, conduct an initial site audit and conduct subsequent unannounced audits. On-site document destruction is also an option in most cities.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.

Incidental Business Records Discarded On A Daily Basis Should Be Protected

Without a program to control it, the daily trash of every business contains information that could be harmful. This information is especially useful to competitors because it contains the details of current activities. Discarded daily records include phone messages, memos, misprinted forms, drafts of bids and drafts of correspondence.

All businesses suffer potential exposure due to the need to discard these incidental business records. The only means of minimizing this exposure is to make sure such information is securely collected and destroyed.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.

Stored Records Should Be Destroyed On A Regular Schedule

The period of time that business records are stored should be determined by a retention schedule that takes into consideration their useful value to the business and the governing legal requirements. No record should be kept longer than this retention period.

By not adhering to a program of routinely destroying stored records, a company exhibits suspicious disposal practices that could be negatively construed in the event of litigation or audit. Also, the new >Federal Rule 26< requires that, in the event of a law suit, each party provide all relevant records to the opposing counsel within 85 days of the defendants initial response. If either of the litigants does not fulfill this obligation, it will result in a summary finding against them. By destroying records according to a set schedule, a company appropriately limits the amount of materials it must search through to comply with this law.

From a risk management perspective, the only acceptable method of discarding stored records is to destroy them by a method that ensures that the information is obliterated. Documenting the exact date that a record is destroyed is a prudent and recommended legal precaution.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.

Every Business Has Information That Requires Destruction

All businesses have occasion to discard confidential data. Customers lists, price lists, sales statistics, drafts of bids and correspondence, and even memos, contain information about business activity which would interest any competitor. Every business is also entrusted with information that must be kept private. Employees and customers have the legal right to have this data protected.

Without the proper safeguards, information ends up in the dumpster where it is readily, and legally, available to anybody. The trash is considered by business espionage professionals as the single most available source of competitive and private information from the average business. Any establishment that discards private and proprietary data without the benefit of destruction, exposes itself to the risk of criminal and civil prosecution, as well as the costly loss of business.

Contact MicroShred Inc. Florida today to handle all your confidential shredding needs.