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Article Type: 
Analysis

Beware identity fraud

Article Date:  Oct 21 2005 Elliott Davis


As National Identity Fraud Prevention Week draws to a close, UK businesses are being reminded that they – and not just individuals – must remain vigilant, in order to ward off the potentially disastrous consequences facing their ventures.

‘Identity Fraud also affects businesses,’ Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) spokesman David Croucher explains. ‘Corporate identity theft may even involve stealing the identity of a company and fraudulently trading under that name without the knowledge of the legitimate company. The consequences can be catastrophic, particularly if the fraud goes undetected.’

As such, the FSB has some simple advice. ‘Businesses, just like individuals and members of the public, need to protect themselves and their customers,’ Croucher counsels.

Recommendations include checking to make sure your customers are genuine, remembering to dispose of sensitive material in a secure way (that is through shredding) and seeking to employ a monitoring company to ensure fraudsters have not compromised your business identity.

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