Each day Cyber Criminals plot more and more schemes to catch you off guard and steal your data for them to use as they please.

With even the slightest bit of information about you they can open up fake bank accounts, make online purchases and even get a criminal record – all on YOUR name!

Luckily, the first step to stopping them in their tracks is to know what to look out for and to know what threats they pose to you, your bank account and your reputation.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is the act of stealing personal, private or financial information. This crime affects both the individuals whose identity has been stolen as well as the businesses where the stolen identity has been used to make fraudulent transactions. The best part is that the identity doesn’t even have to be of someone living, or real.

You’d be forgiven to think that identity theft can only happen online, but it can happen anywhere, at any time. Sometimes all it takes to steal your identity is a stolen cell phone or sharing too much personal information online. Either way, it helps Cyber Criminals steal your name, bank accounts and ultimately take over your life.

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Identity Fraud

Once Cyber Criminals have access to your information, they can start using your information on fake IDs, passports, fake credit accounts and other fraudulent transactions. It’s only once they start using your information for their own evil schemes that irreparable damage is done.

This is called identity fraud.

Identity fraud can be classified as the “use of stolen information such as personal, private or financial information.” This means that if you fall victim to this crime, your and your company’s identity has been stolen and you can be held accountable for all fraudulent transactions done on your behalf. This can lead to mountains of debt. Some examples of identity fraud includes:

Fake criminal record

False bank accounts

False loan applications

False credit card accounts

Scary stuff. The good news is there are ways you can prevent falling victim to their schemes and live a safe, happy life.

Using Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a method of authentication that requires the use of more than one verification method and adds a second layer of security to user sign-ins.

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How does MFA work?

It provides a strong method of authentication to protect your credentials by requiring a secondary authentication method such as a 6-digit pin. With MFA enabled, a user can sign into their Sappi account from any device using their credentials and a PIN sent via a phone call or text message.

MFA is being implemented everywhere – it’s very much the norm for internet banking, online shopping or cloud services.

When will I be prompted for a PIN?

Any time you use Office365 for email, accessing files in OneDrive for business, communicating with Skype for Business, or collaborating with SharePoint Online from outside the Sappi network e.g. using a browser on a home computer to access Office365.

Any time you use a device that isn’t managed by Sappi IT, for example your personal computer.

The first time you log into Skype for Business, SharePoint Online or Exchange Online from a Sappi network using a corporate computer and/or a mobile device.

Taking the next step in data protection

Sappi is always looking to improve the safety of our, and your data. Through our partnership with Microsoft, we have state-of-the-art tools at our disposal to assist in protecting our assets.

Introducing Bitlocker

What is BitLocker and what are the benefits?

It’s Microsoft’s propriety software package that encrypts all the information on your laptop’s hard disk, thus rendering the data useless if compromised through theft or loss of the laptop. This is a physical protection, meaning the hard drive cannot be removed from the laptop and accessed through a different physical system.

When will Bitlocker be installed on my laptop?

The software will be rolled out globally to all Windows 10-based laptops over the next four months. Your IT support team will contact you in due course to arrange a suitable time to install and configure the software, which takes approximately 10-15 minutes.

These are just a few ways we help protect your data, but we can’t prevent everything.

Please be vigilant, always report any suspicious activity to phishingreport@sappi.com immediately so we can stop any attack in its tracks.