With damages exceeding over $547 million in the U.S. in 2004 alone, consumer fraud and identity theft is a rapidly growing crime that effects everyone. Consumers and businesses alike are victimized daily by thieves using your personal and financial information to steal your identity. A great deal of these crimes could have been prevented if this confidential information had been destroyed before it was discarded. The most effective to destroy unwanted sensitive information is to shred it with a Dahle paper shredder. Below you can find some of the most recent industry information regarding new laws aimed at preserving your privacy. For more information on how Dahle can protect you against Identity Theft, please send us an eMail or call our hotline at (800) 995-1379.

State Fair of Texas Sues Iron Mountain Information Management
DALLAS -- The State Fair of Texas has filed suit against Iron Mountain Information Management (IMIM), alleging that the company and its employees participated in a scheme to steal and resell thousands of State Fair coupons that the company was contractually obligated to destroy. The suit was filed after a year-long investigation by private detectives that identified dozens of people who bought the coupons as well as former IMIM employees who were allegedly involved in selling them. Iron Mountain Information Management is a subsidiary of Iron Mountain, Inc. (NYSE: IRM - News), based in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here to read the complete press release.

 

In House -vs- Mobile Shred Services: Benefits of Shredding Your Own Documents Congratulations on understanding the necessity of shredding unwanted confidential information. FACTA regulations require that any documents containing consumer credit information must be properly disposed. With that in mind, the hard part is choosing whether to shred the documents yourself or hire an outside agency to do it for you. While each method has its advantages, This link will describe the benefits of having access you your own inhouse shredders.

 

Identity Theft

Since Identity Theft causes billions of dollars in damages to the U.S. alone, the President recently signed a new bill to increase criminal penalties for those found guilty of identity theft. This new law (P.L. 108-275) creates the crime of aggravated identity theft for crimes that involve felonies. A prison sentence of two years is added to the felony conviction and those who commit ID theft while perpetrating a criminal act will be given an additional 5 years in prison. Follow this link for a copy of the Federal Trade Commissions report on National and State Trends in Fraud & Identity Theft for 2004. If you would like more information on identity theft please visit the Federal Trade Commission's website regarding this crime.

 

 

FACTA

Due to the rising increase in Identity Theft every year, Congress has enacted the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. The disposal portion of this law will take effect June 1, 2005 and require all employers to properly dispose of any information derived from a consumer credit report before it is discarded. After this time you can be held legally responsible for any fraud that results from your information.

This new law effects all business owners even if they only employ one person. The following link will provide detailed information regarding FACTA's Records Disposal Rule.

 

HIPAA

In the first criminal conviction under the HIPAA Act, a Seattle cancer center employee was found guilty of stealing a cancer patients name, date of birth, and Social Security number. He used this personal information to obtain credit cards and charge over $9,000.

Richard Gibson was convicted of violating the HIPAA Act because he knowingly disclosed another person's identifiable health information for the intent of personal gain. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Gibson faces up to 10 years in prison. For more information regarding HIPAA, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.