Most businesses store sensitive information about employees and customers, such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers (SSNs), banking information and more. If lost or stolen, this data could put individuals at risk for identity theft and other types of damage.
What should you do if this happens to your business? The IRS recommends these steps to take:
- If a breach could pose harm to a person or business, notify local police and report the potential risk of identity theft.
- If a breach includes names and SSNs or could affect other businesses, contact the major credit bureaus and notify the businesses.
- If the breach puts individuals at risk, notify those individuals so they can take steps to mitigate the misuse of their data, including checking out the IRS Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft.
For that Guide and more, click here: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/has-your-business-become-the-victim-of-a-data-security-breach
Photo by Winnie Vinzence from Freerange Stock.