National Consumer Protection Week

I have selected three topics today highlighting National Consumer Protection Week.  This information, provided by the FTC, gives practical and timely advice for protecting the personal information of customers, employees, contractors, and others in the business environment.  The topics are:

• Take Stock: Conducting a Data Security Audit in Your Office
• The “Red Flags” Rule: Are You Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft?
• Protecting Personal Information: Five Steps for Business

Alert: This Internet Crime Wave Has Claimed Thousands of Victims

This is a very serious threat to your privacy, whether it personal, financial, medical or any information that you store on your computer. It has spawned an identity theft crime wave on the internet. Beginning in the 1990s, millions of computer users across the country have accessed file-sharing programs to exchange music, videos, games and other digital content. There are numerous software applications available on the internet that allow users to share these files in a peer-to-peer networking (P2P) environment.

According to Mary Engle of the Federal Trade Commission, “You can go online and download some software onto your computer that connects you with a network of other users, and you can share files with them…We’re concerned that consumers may accidentally share folders that contain private documents that they don’t intend to share.”

Do Not Call Registrations Are Permanent

This is a reminder that your registration at donotcall.gov will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the registry will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so by visiting the DoNotCall.gov site here.