Letter from the Chairman

New ways thieves and hackers will try to steal your information

The start of a new year inevitably brings a round of resolutions. And while everyone will have their personal list of aspirations, Identity Theft 911 would like to add a goal that applies to all: Make 2012 the year of fighting back against identity theft.

As we saw in the November/December newsletter, 2011 was rife with data breaches. Nearly every month another company fell victim: RSA, Epsilon, Sony and more. Hundreds of thousands of consumers had their private information exposed or exploited. In other instances, hackers obtained sensitive data that might enable them to inflict greater damage down the line.

The clear lesson: No one is immune.

Accordingly, in 2012, complacency can no longer be accepted nor excuses tolerated. The time has come to set a new standard for privacy security, and change must begin at the level of individual responsibility: with the consumer who orders merchandise online; with the small business owner who must reconcile the dangers of working at home; with the corporate executive who sets his company’s data security policies and the employee whose job it is to carry them out.

Yes, the government and judicial system have critical roles to play in the fight against data and identity theft, and we’ll be watching to see what develops. But the fact is that those gears move slowly, whereas each of us has the potential to do something—right now and in the year ahead—to better protect ourselves.

Keeping this in mind, we’re offering two targeted slide shows—one for businesses and one for consumers. The slide shows identify the trends in data theft that are most likely to affect each group in 2012, along with advice for shoring up defenses.

This month we also explore the increasing risk of identity theft faced by high-net-worth individuals and offer tips for protecting your company from internal breaches. Plus we put together a security primer for home-based small businesses. From best practices to insurance considerations, to employee and self-education, we want you thinking about how to protect your customers’ information and your bottom line.

Finally, the breach at online retailer Zappos only further underscores our point: The onus is on consumers to protect themselves. To that end, our experts offer six key steps to protect your personal information online.

Wishing you a safe and secure 2012.

Adam K. Levin
Chairman and Cofounder
Identity Theft 911