Protect Your Future Career from Identity Theft
Ways to Guard Your Career Identity Today
May 16, 2009
Most people think of identity theft as a financial matter - worried someone else will have access to banking information or create a false "you" and ring up massive bills or mortgages. But what about your career identity?
Did you ever think what happens to your information from HR - if it is compromised or stolen? Not just your personal financial and health information - but your personal references are now open to hacking, as well as your personal resume.
And in the wrong hands - your identity: your work history, your deserved references - all can be taken and used to promote someone else - leaving you with a sullied reputation.
What Can You Do to Protect Yourself
Fortunately, more companies are realizing the need to protect the most important asset - people and their personal information - be it their health records, credit/financial information or relevant business documents such as resume and references. But how?
Kroll Fraud Solutions offers not just protection services, but more importantly - information on what you can do NOW to protect your identity. While the site specializes in protecting companies, its main business is to protect people and their information. To do this, you need to know how to protect yourself.
Do You Protect Your Identity?
Sure, you know you are supposed to cover your PIN when using any type of financial transaction - but do you? You erase your computer, but do you actually remove the information? Do you have copies of everything in your wallet - so in case it is stolen you actually know what was stolen? Kroll Fraud Solutions actually has expanded now into personal or Consumer Identity Fraud.
This site is a wealth of information - ranging from identity theft glossary, understanding identity theft, to what you can do about it, and a free assessment (for businesses).
Why You Need to Protect Your Identity for Your Career
Most people think of identity theft as a financial problem only. But think for a moment. Your resume and references are being used by someone else posing as you - for a quick financial gain. Now that information is compromised - are you really you? Does your job require a background criminal check or you need to be bonded to get that job?
Someone else using your name and identity most likely has a criminal background - and now your name gets associated with any new crimes. Will your potential new job believe that is wasn't you who maxed out a new credit card or reneged on a mortgage? Kroll Fraud even lists "They may give your name to the police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name" as a serious potential risk. Never thought about that part, did you?
The Kroll Fraud website offers excellent information on how to protect yourself. For example - pretexting. Someone could call you pretending to be from a survey company; once they have some of your personal information, they could call your financial institution with just enough information to make it sound plausible they are you, and have forgotten the chequing account number and need it immediately. With that, your financial information has been breached.
More importantly though, is that it is not enough to just delete personal information from your computer - or even reformat the hard drive (this may be new information to most readers) . You need to use a "wipe" program to truly get rid of ALL information; reformatting can leave partial files.
Bottom Line
Identity theft is not just about your financial information; it's about your resume, references and your reputation. Protect yourself - check out Kroll Fraud Solutions website.
Check out these interviews with Jeremy Miller, Director of Operations at Kroll Fraud Solutions, as he discusses how to Protect Your Career Information and his thoughts on Identity Theft and Your Career.
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