The Big Issue

Such fraud costs the UK no less than £1.3 billion per annum, and there are over 100,000 cases of identity theft every year, writes Simon Pearce.

The crime involves someone stealing a person’s or a business’ confidential information in the form of (for example) national insurance numbers, credit card details or directors’ signatures and then using that information to impersonate the person or business concerned. The thieves can accrue credit by setting up false accounts, etc. For businesses, such activity can lead to serious reputational damage.

The British Security Industry Association has long encouraged businesses to take their Data Protection Act 1998 obligations seriously by employing a professional information destruction company to dispose of all confidential data. The BSIA’s recently-produced Guide to the Data Protection Act will be of further assistance to the end user community, detailing their obligations concerning confidential data under the Terms and Conditions of the Act.

With all this in mind, the BSIA will be focusing on identity theft and the importance of using professional information destruction companies during a seminar session to be held at the new Total Workplace Management Exhibition at Earls Court on 12 October. The seminars will include a presentation by a representative from Sterling (a Metropolitan Police Service initiative which advises businesses on how they can take simple measures to prevent their identity from being stolen). This initiative is being conducted in close partnership with Companies House.

The seminars will also cover a new British Standard for the information destruction sector which is being developed from our current BSIA Shredding Standard.

I strongly recommend that all end users should attend this seminar session at Total Workplace Management.