Can Chicago Illinois Business Security Companies Help When Business Identity Theft (Mirroring) Happens?

• June 19, 2015
• by Carlos Lopez

Not satisfied with simple individual identity theft, thieves have been targeting businesses for the last few years. Apparently, profits are larger when targeting businesses. There are several methods of stealing a Chicago business’ identity, but the one that is most understated and almost non-detectible is mirroring. An Illinois business owner not on his toes or uninformed about this method of identity theft can wake one morning to the reality of losing his business due to identity theft. Chicago Illinois Business Security company Security Docs IL knows how to protect your business from identity theft. Here are the basics of mirroring, so you will know what to look for.

How It Works

Office buildings are full of phones ringing, clients entering a business and people running about. It’s too easy to check out which floor is the busiest, including how many people enter which business. Since the name of the business is usually on a plaque on the door or on the wall beside it, identity thieves can then have the business’ physical address and name. That’s all they need in order to create havoc.

• Once the thieves have the name and address of the business, it’s a matter of looking online to find the owner’s name, the names of any board members and especially the financial officer’s name. With this information in hand, the thieves can obtain credit and banking information.
• Next, the thieves will establish an “office” on another floor of the same building. The “office” will have no plaque on the wall or the door. The office, in fact, is only useful for receiving merchandise ordered on the credit of the legitimate business.
• Now the thieves will obtain lines of credit, credit cards, and loans and with these buy high-ticket items they can re-sell for even more money.
• Exit stage-left and do it all again.

How Businesses Can Protect Themselves

Obviously, Chicago businesses are intent on growing their brand, but it’s exactly that which attracts identity thieves. If businesses are looking for identity theft protection, these are important aspects to keep thieves from destroying your business.

• Since most important information is on paper, guard that paper with your life. Employer identity numbers or EINs and social security numbers on any paperwork should be kept in a secure location inaccessible to any but authorized personnel.
• Make sure your bank has a fraud policy. Sign up for authentication systems for wire transfers and paychecks.
• Keep an eye on your bank statement every single day. Call the bank if something doesn’t look right.
• You’ll need to know what you don’t know: where your vendor statements are going, why your vendor statements are for such large amounts, mail to another address even if it’s in the same building and unexplainable orders or large orders.

What Else Can Be Done?

Chances are a monitored security system will only see madly rushing employees, lost clients looking for an office number and vendors wheeling things in on dollies. Alternately, remember that thieves case a place before they rob it. Thieves walk around with clipboards looking official and drive around looking lost so they can choose the best house or store to rob. It’s the same with office buildings. While not every person carrying a clipboard is suspicious, other activities are. Offices can tell a monitored security agency who belongs in the building and who is acting suspiciously. This, in addition to the above safeguards, can go a long way to keeping your business exclusively yours.

Burglary isn’t the only way thieves take what you’ve worked hard for. Monitored 24/7/365 by trained and screened professionals, you can be secure in the fact that Security Docs IL are on the job. Contact us for more information.

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