Is Your Trash Talking? New Law, OfficeMax Tips Guard Against Identity Theft Vulnerability
March 07 2005 - 9:15AM
PR Newswire (US)
Is Your Trash Talking? New Law, OfficeMax Tips Guard Against
Identity Theft Vulnerability Learning How Thieves Steal Personal
Information Will Better Protect Businesses and Consumers, OfficeMax
Experts Say ITASCA, Ill., March 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
average victim of identity theft spends about $4,800 and 30 hours
to rectify effects of the crime, according to a recent Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) study. Identity theft is the fastest growing
crime in the U.S., and has spurred new legislation requiring
businesses and even consumers to destroy certain documents before
throwing them away. Additionally, OfficeMax(R) (NYSE:OMX), one of
the nation's largest distributors of office supplies, has compiled
guidelines to help protect against this costly type of fraud.
Identity theft has risen more than 40 percent over the last year,
according to the FTC, and the number one method is thieves
rummaging through the trash. Starting June 1, a new law requires
anyone who has one or more employees, and keeps each worker's
personal information on paper, to destroy the records before
throwing them away. "This law highlights the importance and
severity of the identity theft problem," said Ryan Vero, OfficeMax
executive vice president of merchandising. The document destruction
provision in the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act will
likely require increased reliance on shredders for protection
against thieves who search through trash for personal information
such as receipts, bank statements, investment reports and bills. If
files are kept electronically, some shredders now accept CDs, such
as the Tech Solutions Premium Personal Shredder (available at
OfficeMax -- strip cut $159.99 or confetti cut -- $189.99).
"Shredding sensitive documents is one of the best ways to protect
against identity theft, however, thieves use many different methods
to steal people's identity," Vero added. "Recognizing these
different methods can make it easier to take precautionary steps in
order to keep your business and personal information safe."
OfficeMax offers these tips to help protect against other forms of
identity theft: -- Maintain a "clean" computer. Identity theft is
becoming technologically advanced. There are more than 100,000
known computer viruses floating through the Internet. These
viruses, plus spyware and adware, allow thieves to remotely access
a computer and gain entrance to confidential business and personal
files. A variety of computer protection products are available,
including Norton Internet Security ($69.95), which searches out and
blocks annoying pop-up ads and spyware applications. Norton
Personal Firewall 2004 ($49.95) filters out potential hackers that
roam broadband connections such as cable modem or DSL. Norton
Antivirus 2005 ($49.95) helps destroy or quarantine viral threats.
All are available at OfficeMax stores nationwide. -- Store paper
files securely. Business documents and personal files, such as
employee records, bank statements, tax forms, loan information,
birth certificates and social security cards should be securely
archived. Hon's 462 and 600 series of vertical or horizontal
lockable file cabinets (starting at $169.99), available at
OfficeMax stores, provide safe and secure storage. -- Write checks
that cannot be altered. Using a process known as "check washing,"
thieves erase ink using chemicals found in common household
cleaning products. Then they rewrite the checks to themselves and
raise the amount payable by hundreds or thousands of dollars. When
writing checks, use a pen with ink that cannot be removed by
standard check washing chemicals, such as the Uni-Ball Retractable
Gel Impact Pen ($4.69 per 3-pack), available at OfficeMax stores
nationwide. -- Cover mail from prying eyes. It's possible to see
mail contents such as credit card and bank account numbers by
holding envelopes up to light or peeking through an envelope
address window. OfficeMax experts suggest using durable,
security-lined privacy envelopes ($1.69 per box of 50 at OfficeMax
stores) as a simple and inexpensive solution to deter "mail
snooping." With a full range of identity theft protection products
and convenient online or retail location shopping options,
OfficeMax helps shoppers keep their information safe at home and in
the workplace. About OfficeMax(R) Incorporated OfficeMax(R)
Incorporated is a leader in both business-to-business office
product solutions and retail office products. OfficeMax delivers an
unparalleled customer experience -- in service, in product, in time
savings, and in value -- through a relentless focus on its
customers. The company provides office supplies and paper, print
and document services, technology products and solutions, and
furniture to large, medium and small businesses and consumers.
OfficeMax customers are served by more than 40,000 associates
through direct sales, catalogs, Internet and nearly 1,000
superstores. OfficeMax trades on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol OMX. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX
or more information can be found at http://www.officemax.com/ .
OfficeMax Contact Media Contact Bill Bonner Peter Balistrieri,
Bader Rutter & Associates 630 438 8584 262 938 5407 DATASOURCE:
OfficeMax CONTACT: Bill Bonner of OfficeMax, +1-630-438-8584, or
Peter Balistrieri of Bader Rutter & Associates, +1-262-938-5407
Web site: http://www.officemax.com/
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