In a recent posting to one of our favorite ID security blogs—ONGuardOnline.gov, the focus was on Social Security scams.  The following information is adapted from Amy Hebert’s post on behalf of the FTC and Andrew Cannarsa’s post on behalf of the US Inspector General.

To facilitate Social Security’s services, the SSA started an official Twitter account and has already accumulated more than 16,500 followers; every day, SSA tweets information about applying for Social Security benefits, and answers frequently asked questions.

With so much interest in a government Twitter handle like @SocialSecurity, imposter accounts were bound to materialize.

When @SociSecurity appeared last year with an SSA emblem as its profile photo, and began tweeting Social Security-related information, SSA alerted our Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General.

The US Office of Counsel—which is made up of the Counsel to the Inspector General, the Deputy Counsel, and a staff of attorneys—enforces Section 1140 of the Social Security Act. To summarize, the law prohibits people and organizations from using Social Security words and symbols in communications in any way that could mislead the public to believe that Social Security has an official connection with that communication. The law also prohibits people or organizations from charging a fee for an otherwise-free Social Security form or publication without authorization.

In this case, the Office of Counsel worked promptly with Twitter to suspend the @SociSecurity account, which violated Section 1140. We—and SSA—were primarily concerned that the account would spread incorrect information and confuse people into thinking they were communicating directly with SSA.

In another case, we insisted on changes to a “Social Security Disability Blog” Facebook page, which used an emblem that appeared to be official and was classified as a “Government Website.” The account no longer uses that particular emblem, and is no longer classified as a “Government Website.”

With these recent examples in mind, we want to warn you—and ask you to spread the word—to be on guard for misleading Internet Social Security-related advertisements and communications, including those on social media and mobile apps.

Section 1140 scams can include:

• Websites misleadingly designed to appear as SSA’s official website or officially authorized by SSA (see example below). Official-sounding web addresses or domain names—like SocialSecurityHome.com,—used by themselves or along with misleading websites, can create the false impression of an SSA connection.

• Sale of SSA publications, forms, and services otherwise provided free of charge.
• Social Security Disability Representation. Some websites are misleadingly designed to appear as SSA’s official website or as if they are authorized by SSA, but their actual purpose is to obtain people’s personal information to generate leads for either attorney or non-attorney Social Security disability advocacy services.
• Email Phishing Scams. We are aware of several email phishing scams that use SSA as the hook to get you to open and respond to the email. Purporting to be from SSA, these emails were designed to steal your personal email account login ID and password.

As always, be mindful of originating any communication before sharing personally identifying information.  If you ever question the legitimacy of any Social Security-related communication, you can report that directly to the OIG through our Fraud Hotline, online at http://oig.ssa.gov/report or by phone Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, at (800) 269-0271.

For more information on identity theft best practices, please visit www.hvshred.com

This week, we share the interesting back story behind paper shredding.  According to our amateur research, the first paper shredder is credited to  inventor Abbot Augustus Low of Horseshoe, located on the Western shore of Horseshoe Lake, in Piercefield, New York. His patent for a “waste paper receptacle” to offer an improved method of disposing of waste paper was filed on February 2, 1909 and received the U.S. patent number 929,960 on August 31, 1909. Apparently, Low’s invention was never manufactured, however.

Adolf Ehinger’s paper shredder, based on a hand-crank pasta maker, was manufactured in 1935 in Germany. Supposedly he needed to shred his anti-Nazi propaganda to avoid the inquiries of the authorities. Ehinger later marketed his shredders to government agencies and financial institutions converting from hand-crank to electric motor. Ehinger’s company, EBA Maschinenfabrik, manufactured the first cross-cut paper shredders in 1959 and continues to do so to this day as EBA Krug & Priester GmbH & Co. in Balingen.

The U.S. embassy in Iran used strip-cut paper shredders to reduce paper pages to strips before the embassy was taken over in 1979 (though not entirely successfully). After Colonel Oliver North told Congress that he used a Schleicher Intimus 007 S cross-cut model to shred Iran-Contra documents, sales for that company increased nearly 20 percent in 1987.

Until the mid-1980s, it was rare for paper shredders to be used by non-government entities. After the 1984 Supreme Court decision in California v. Greenwood, in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the warrantless search and seizure of garbage left for collection outside of a home, paper shredders became more popular among US citizens with privacy concerns. Anti-burning laws, concern over landfills, industrial espionage, and identity theft concerns created greater demand for paper shredding.

These days, for reputation management and to fulfill fiduciary responsibilities, many companies enjoy the security and convenience of on-site shredding.  For more information on secured document destruction please visit www.hvshred.com

This week’s blog draws our attention to the continuing danger of not taking our garbage seriously.  Things we often consider junk mail too often end up as treasures for identity thieves who don’t consider it junk at all.

Valuable data comes in the mail everyday: pre-approved credit card offers, notices from the bank or car loan provider. Do we even pay attention to them? We definitely should.

The few details thieves can gather just from junk mail is easily enough to steal a person’s identity.

Think about what comes in the mail:  mortgage information including how much you owe what interest rates you’re paying, and who it’s with.  With those tidbits, identity thieves can go online and buy additional information.   All they need is the name, address and a couple other qualifying pieces of information.

By the time victims discover the theft, it could be past 30 days and much damage could be done.

Businesses are especially at risk because of their fiduciary duty to their customers.

The key is to err on the side of caution and securely dispose of all information that identifies an individual.  Even just the name and address could be a liability.

On site shredding service is the most secure and provides the most peace of mind.  Not to mention most services will also recycle the shredded paperwork—a step in the right direction to sustainable businesses practices.

For more information on identity theft protection and secure data disposal, please visit www.hvshred.com

The On Guard On Line is a regular source of valuable information for our weekly blog.  A recent posting asked, “Have you gotten an email with the subject line “Pending consumer complaint” that looks like it came from the FTC?” According to Consumer Education Specialist Amy Hebert,  the email warns that a complaint against the recipient has been filed with the FTC. It asks the recipient to click on a link or attachment for more information or to contact the FTC.

These emails pull out all the stops to look official: They have an FTC seal, references to the “Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA)” and a “formal investigation,” and what look like real FTC links. The truth is that they’re fakes.

The FTC has heard from many people that emails like this are making the rounds. If you get one, PLEASE DO NOT OPEN IT. Don’t click on the links. If you click on the link, it may install malware on your computer. Malware can cause your device to crash and can be used to monitor and control your online activity, steal your personal information, send spam, and commit fraud. You can forward the email to spam@uce.gov, but then delete as soon as you do.

For more information on identity theft best practices, please visit www.hvshred.com

As co-chair of the Living Green Committee of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, I’d like to invite one and all to our upcoming Green Symposium.  Our goal is to provide the local business community with actionable steps to achieving sustainability.  The event is free and open to the public on Tuesday, April 29 from 8:30-noon at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, located at 2715 Rt. 44 in Millbrook.

An Agriculture Showcase, new to the Green Symposium, highlights this year’s program.  Farming and agriculture members of the Chamber will attend and display their local products, food samples and services. There will be a morning filled with expert presenters, exhibitors, networking and Q&A forums. The event is complimentary to attend and is open to members as well as non-members. A continental breakfast will be provided.

Ajax Greene, Founder Re>Think Local and Co-Founder of On Belay Business Advisors, will deliver the Symposium’s keynote address.  Greene will discuss his perspective on building “place-based” organizations and a business community that expresses a strong commitment to being conscious of the triple bottom line: people, planet and prosperity.  He will talk about combining synergies including marketing and branding, people management, finance, operations and a strategic commitment to social responsibility.

To register for the Green Symposium, please visit dcrcoc.org or call 845-454-1700 ext. 1000.

The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Living Green Committee works to implement greener practices for businesses that choose to reduce their ecological footprint. Throughout the year, they host numerous symposiums and events including the popular bi-annual Electronic Recycling Days.  For complete information about the group, visit dcrcoc.org and select ‘Living Green Committee’ under the ‘Committees’ tab.

More information on recycling please visit www.hvshred.com