Preventing Identity Theft in Your Business

CHAPTER 21E-COMMERCE “BEST PRACTICES” FOR CUSTOMERS

Consumers are frustrated by the lack of protection of their personal information. Most companies will not acknowledge they have been victims of identity theft for fear they will lose customers. However, within the past year especially, the flag of identity theft awareness has been raised high, and consumers now know that no business is exempt. An open letter to acknowledge the threat of identity theft and inform consumers of your company’s Security Standards will impart the message that you care and have done something about it. In this chapter, the project team extends consumers an invitation to security using three practical, cost efficient, and easy to implement business approaches.

STANDARD 15. E-COMMERCE “BEST PRACTICES”

Goals: (1) Develop a list of e-shopping “best practices” for consumers, (2) compose “invitation to security” letters to consumers, (3) create a company Web page titled “E-Commerce Best Practices for Our Customers.”

Specific Objectives: The objectives for Standard 15 are to develop three marketing tools, or invitations to security. First, develop an exhaustive list of e-shopping “best practices” for security. Next, create a series of one-paragraph letters announcing how your company protects its customers and employees on four business fronts: people, process, property, and (thereby) proprietary information. Finally, use the letters and the list of security best practices for a Web page titled “E-Commerce ...