Client Security and Social Security Numbers

Posted by accountingweb on Dec 8 1999 103 printer friendly

How secure is your social security number? How about the numbers for your clients?

A question for the Washington Post discusses this subject, along with the great concern that a large firm uses social security numbers as ID for client records. Records are distributed fairly loosly around the office for project handling, and have the potential for all sorts of fraud.

Over a five-year period, credit theft has risen from 35,000 in 1992 to about 500,000 cases in 1997. Instead of using SSNs to identify clients and/or customers, experts suggest using another numbering system and protecting sensitive information with passwords and other security enhancements.

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