Financial experts recommend that all businesses and individuals should have an emergency savings account. Just placing $5 a week into an emergency account can quickly add up to help defray the costs of a health crisis, auto accident or emergency home repair. However, a fat emergency account cannot help if your computer data or other private information is stolen.
According to Information Week, the year 2011 saw a dramatic rise in data breaches. This is where hackers get into the networks of large companies like Yahoo and Sony PlayStation, government agencies or health care facilities and steal customer information. This information can be used for fraud that can permanently damage the credit ratings of innocent victims.
Businesses should use a service like LexisNexis risk management in order to back up the data they have. Regularly update all security software and other software programs so that the latest defenses against hackers are in place. If you read that a company you use has had a data breech, immediately change all of your passwords for any website you frequent, especially Amazon.com or eBay to deter purchases made in your name. Contact your bank to see if there have been any strange transactions done with your accounts.
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Health care fraud is also on the rise in America. Information can be gleaned from health insurance companies, government agencies, individual computers or hard copy documents. Any bills, prescription drug information or insurance information that includes a name and an account number should be treated like money. Shred copies of these documents that you do not need. People will go through trash in order to get this information.
Another part of health care fraud concerns false miracle cures for all ailments from erectile dysfunction to cancer. These items cost a lot of money that is almost impossible to replace. This also robs patients of money that could have been put forward to proper medications or other treatments. Items like nutritional supplements are not regulated. Any cure that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true.
Businesses and non-profits are responsible for any damages that result to their customers from a data breech or stealing of health care records. Employees need to keep constant watch over laptops, smart phones and other portable devices that can be easily stolen. If a data breech does occur, businesses need to inform both the press and their clients as soon as possible.
