Businesses at risk of exposure

According to Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale, the newest identity theft victims in today's lackluster economic climate are small- and medium-sized businesses, the Tribune Sentinel reports. In order to counteract this growing trend, the National Association of Secretaries of State recently formed a Business Identity Theft Task Force to formulate theft prevention strategies. "Criminals look for ways to steal the identity of a legitimate business by gaining access to its bank accounts and credit cards," said Gale, who oversees businesses registrations and filings in the state, as quoted by the news source. "Thieves then secure lines of credit with banks and retailers at the expense of the victim." CanadaOne notes that small businesses can become susceptible to breaches due to poor networking choices, improper shredding practices, registering under a personal name instead of a business name and poor emailing standards, such as failure to choose a secure password.  Gale tells the Sentinel that he recommends businesses safeguard against identity theft by notifying banks, credit card providers and other creditors and credit reporting agencies if potential damage is suspected.