Horizon Payroll Blogs

If the words “payroll fraud” make you cringe, you’re not alone. Perhaps you’ve seen a recent story in the national news, but unfortunately, it’s not an isolated incident, as seen in Maryland and Indiana. If you’ve recently started to outsource this task or are just starting to consider it, you might be wondering if it’s a smart, and safe, decision.

Making the Connection Between Data, the Cloud, and Cybersecurity

How many of these situations are familiar?

• You write down a password so you won’t forget it
• You wonder where your documents really go when you back them up to the cloud
• You receive an unexpected email from your supervisor or CEO asking for personal information
• You share your login with a coworker because one of you is in too much of a hurry to look up the info

We've blogged on phishing before, but it's time for a refresh. In 2017 the IRS received approximately 900 complaints about phishing and suspected scams. That’s up from about 100 in 2016, and the number is expected to grow again in 2018. According to the IRS, in 2017 “more than 200 employers were victimized, which translated into hundreds of thousands of employees who had their identities compromised.” Don’t let your company be the next victim.

As if you need one more thing to worry about this time of year, the IRS has issued an urgent alert regarding phishing scams. These scams target sensitive employee information which crooks can then use to commit various identity crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns. These types of scams have previously targeted larger corporations but are now going for other sectors including school districts, tribal organizations, nonprofits and small to medium-sized businesses. What can you do to stay one step ahead?

Identity theft happens. According to the 2015 Identity Fraud Study, $16 billion was stolen from 12.7 million U.S. consumers in 2014. But how is all this identity theft happening? Where is it happening? The answers may surprise you.

Identify theft is a problem we've been hearing about for years. Maybe it's happened to you or someone you know. But just how big is the problem these days?