There are very few businesses that request and require the
level of detailed personal information that we as landlords do. As a result the
need for secure practices at every level ‘physical and digital’ are critical to
avoiding personal identity theft liability.
More than 50% of
personal identity violations/thefts are the result of paper based thefts.
When we think about it, this makes for an understandable finding. While we are
always stunned when there is a major digital hack, in total, what actually
materializes into an active theft of someone’s entire identity is a small
number among those type of incidents. Sure, bogus financial transactions are
prevalent but many are trapped out early and the costs are modest to individuals
– in most instances. And, a hack of a Facebook account, while it may be
concerning, these types of hacks usually translate into a nuisance or embarrassment.
But when someone is able to capture not just a credit card
number or a password to one system but the entire, all-embracing metrics of a
person’s entire personal identity – this is a situation now taken to a much
higher level of exposure. If you can piece together a driver’s license, SSN and
credit report data for an individual, now you have a true identity theft
situation. The stakes for everyone involved have now escalated. So, hmmmm…if I
was a criminal intent on surfacing opportunities to snatch such a complete
record of such information where might I look? You got it…an apartment leasing
office!
Not only is the opportunity there, the apartment leasing
office can be a fairly well trafficked, somewhat ‘public’ space with visitors.
Or, as John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber once said of his criminal
activities, in answer to the question: “John, why do you rob banks?” “Well,” he
responded, “that’s where the money is!”
I have seen the reality of this condition, personally.
Resident files left on the desk, perhaps even overnight for the cleaning
staff’s casual reading or copying with the click of a smartphone’s camera.
Rental applications and credit reports sitting in unattended print output
trays. Driver’s license paper copies dropped in trash cans because the original
attempt at a copy came out a little too dark. Do you do frequent security checks
to see what’s in your trash? Do you have a secure disposal container? Do you
have a shredder? While these security procedures can be good for paper that is to
be disposed of but what about your active paperwork and live files? Laws
regarding a business’s liability which are designed to ensure that adequate
protections and management oversights are in place continue to get ever more
expansive and draconian.
But alas, this is a blog about multifamily technology.
Driven by security standards such as HIPPA, PCI, and the increasingly energetic
Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) to cite a few, new print management technologies
are coming to market that can significantly reduce paper based breaches
resulting from the active in office use of paper.
As a starter, you can now get all the ‘paper’ digitized and
avoid storing paper files on site.
I also have recently tested one excellent example of this
new print management technology. It makes unattended printing a mistake of the
past and a risk you can now easily avoid and for FREE. It also helps reduce print costs since print jobs
can be managed ever better before they go to print. Ever go to the printer to
find your financial report has been printed on sticky address labels?
I can send you a link for a FREE access used to install
a print security system and if it fits your print systems profile it’s yours to
have.
So, if you have an interest in this technology and want to reduce
risk and exposure to paper based personal identity theft liability, send me an
e-mail at mike.radice46@gmail.com
I’d be happy to send you the link. Yes, it is FREE.
Mike
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