Identity compromises are becoming more common. Almost every month we hear new reports about hackers, breaches, identity theft and new scams, like IRS scams, Blue Cross Blue Shield scams and disaster relief scams.
For a business owner it is highly important to secure his/her personal credit and business credit. Here are some tips to protect your personal credit and secure your business.
Credit Freeze
Did you know Hispanic business owners are huge targets for identity theft? That’s correct. This radical movement for illegals hurts our country than helps it in many ways. Illegals are buying successful Hispanic and other ethnic groups idenitities through the black markets. Is it fair for a Hispanic small business owner or any business owner to get their idenity stolen? Of course not. For example: A past client of mine has a Greek descent last name and of course his identity was compromised with a cell phone bill and two credit cards. His Greek descent last name was used by an illegal who didn’t have a social security number. I have seen more stolen identities with the Hispanic community and other ethnic groups who are also small business owners than a common last name like “Smith”.
Since credit freezes are free, there should be no reason for small business owners to secure their credit with a credit freeze. With a credit freeze, you are the only person who can access your credit by locking and unlocking your personal credit report with your password that was provided by the credit bureaus. Even if you apply for credit with a lending institution, you first have to unlock your credit before your loan officer has access to pull your personal credit for a business loan, home loan or auto loan or even a credit card.
Credit Monitoring
When you are a small business owner, you must keep track of your credit. Enrolling in credit monitoring with Equifax or Experian and Equifax Business and Experian Business are good options to receive credit alerts on your personal or business credit report. What if you did not authorize a purchase on one of your credit cards or an unauthorised credit inquiry. Pretty much, credit monitoring allows you to stay up to date with your personal credit activity.
Change Passwords
It is very important to constantly change passwords especially when an employee exits or pre-exists with their two week notice.
Hire a Reputable IT Company
Hiring a good computer security company will save you a lot of heartache. You never know if you received malware that a keylogger attached to an unfamiliar email. Once you open the unfamiliar email and has the keylogging software attached to it, the keylogger then has full access to your computer strokes. A reputable IT company can stop majority of malware and keyloggers entering into your computer, cloud or server.
Limit Business Credit Card Usage
Allow a few employees with your business credit cards. I am speaking of small businesses and not large businesses. When an employee exits or plans to exit, you may cancel that card number at anytime.
For more information on how we can help you with your personal credit or business credit in Kendall FL, Miami FL, and Coral Gables, FL please fill out the online contact form about your concerns or give us a call at 855.477-9007. Read what our valued clients have to say about First Pro Capital and Credit Consulting Professionals on our Testimonials page
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