Winter 2008 Headlines

1. EFI Launches NAID-Certified Document Destruction Service
2. EFI Celebrates 250,000 TONS of Recycled Material
3. Oregon Identity Theft Protection Act Deadline Jan 1, 2008
4. Mill Creek woman allegedly pilfered more than $500,000
5. Oregon Banks & Credit Unions Launch ID Theft Web Site
6. Did You Know?
7. DFCS Offers Identity Theft Presentations to OR Businesses
8. EFI Employee Spotlight: Scott Jenkins

Latest News

EFI Launches Certified Document Destruction Service

EFI Secured Shredding and Recycling is now offering the Portland area the finest in confidential document destruction services!

Purge Services
For timely secure shredding of your confidential information, EFI will arrive at your location with a mobile shred truck for onsite document destruction. Our simple, no-hassle pricing structure means no surprises later and our state of the art mobile shred system ensures all material is cross-shredded to eliminate the possibility of reconstruction. For a more cost-effective solution, certified offsite shredding is also available at our security camera monitored facility, whereby we pick up or you drop off your sensitive material. All destruction services, whether offsite or onsite, come with a industry-recognized certificate of destruction.

Ongoing Services
For ongoing shredding services, locking containers of your choice can be provided at no charge for your convenience and security. Whether you choose the Security Console, perfect for office use, or the cost effective 65-gallon Security Cart, a right-sized recurring service will ensure timely, secure and documented onsite shredding of your most sensitive information. EFI has a simple and straightforward pricing structure, which means there are no administrative fees, no early service penalties and no red tape to hinder your business. EFI offers prompt, professional and dependable customer service, and all services always include a certificate of destruction.

EFI is a member of the National Association of Information Destruction and has earned the highest security and shredding certification in the nation; the NAID AAA Certification. (Click here for EFI's NAID AAA Certification Verification Certificate.) Our personnel have years of experience in the secure shredding industry, receive extensive background and drug testing, and are fully licensed and bonded. EFI Secured Shredding and Recycling knows how valuable it is to have a personal, consistent, practical and secure document destruction service. For more information about our document destruction services, please contact EFI via email or call 503-737-2100.

EFI Celebrates 250,000 TONS of Material Recycled

Nearly 3/4 the weight of the Empire State Building!

Such as massive amount of paper, plastic film and cardboard is almost impossible to imagine. To put a quarter-million tons in perspective, modern US Navy aircraft carriers weigh roughly 97,000 tons. The massive Empire State Building, constructed of dense steel and concrete, weighs in at 365,000 tons. But what's even more amazing is that all 250,000 tons of material processed by Environmental Fibers International, Inc. was recycled and reused - not buried in a landfill or burned and released into the atmosphere!

A local, family-owned and operated business located minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon, EFI has over one-hundred years of combined industry experience in the recycling services. Its facilities are outfitted with the most sophisticated technology to collect and recycle a wide array of paper and plastic film products. Widely recognized for its consistent purchasing and supply of quality recycling products and services, EFI offers extremely competitive pricing and its employees are known for their professionalism, knowledge and dedication to ecologically-sound and globally-sustainable business practices.

Oregon ID Theft Protection Act Takes Full Effect January 1st, 2008
A key piece of Oregon's identity theft law takes effect January 1, 2008. By that date, Oregon businesses, organizations, and government agencies need to have a plan in place to protect the sensitive data they collect, keep and share.

The law requires you to develop, implement, and maintain reasonable safeguards. This includes a number of measures such as designating one or more of your employees to coordinate a security program; assessing your information processing, transmission, and storage risks; and detecting, preventing, and responding to computerized intrusions. It also includes the proper disposal of information through shredding, or burning, or rendering it unreadable in electronic form through encryption or similar procedure. Click here for more information. (Source: Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities)

Serious Consequences for Negligence or Non-Compliance
In addition to potentially paying compensation to consumers injured by violations of the OITPA, any person or organization violating the act or who procures, aids or abets in the violation of this 2007 Act shall be subject to a penalty of not more than $1,000 for every violation, which shall be paid to the General Fund of the State Treasury.

Every violation is a separate offense and, in the case of a continuing violation, each day's continuance is a separate violation, but the maximum penalty for any occurrence shall not exceed $500,000. (Source: 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly, Senate Bill 583)

Mill Creek woman allegedly pilfered more than $500,000
Everett, WA - Lina Hinds, 38, was arrested in October 2007 on suspicion of forgery and identity theft. Everett police seized bogus Social Security cards, credit cards and rental agreements from her home. They even found a fake criminal investigator badge for the U.S. Department of Treasury, and sticky-tab notes scribbled with names and social security numbers in her purse. According to investigators, Hinds allegedly made up names and stole personal information in order to enjoy "living the high life." She had only been employed at an Everett business for about three weeks before stealing the owner's personal information and a blank check, which she attempted to use to purchase a 2007 Chevy Trailblazer SUV. (Click for full article at The Seattle Times)

Oregon Banks & Credit Unions Launch Web Site to Fight ID Theft
The Oregon Bankers Association has joined forces with the Credit Union Association of Oregon to create the Financial Institutions Security Task Force, which recently launched a web site dedicated to keeping the public informed about major banking security issues. The web site, www.fist.oregonbankers.com, contains information about current robbery rewards, upcoming events, fraud and robbery statistics and trends, state and national resources, and media materials. The organization even offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who defraud Oregon financial institutions. (Click for full article at the Portland Business Journal)

Did you know?

- Identity Theft Cost US Businesses and Consumers almost $50 Billion in 2006. (Source)

- According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was the leading fraud complaint in 2006 with over 245,000 grievances filed nationwide. The FTC estimates that only a small percentage of thefts are reported, and that the actual number of thefts is much higher. (Source: Forbes.com)

- The Pennsylvania-based physical therapy company Select Physical Therapy is under investigation by the Texas Attorney General after the company disposed of approximately 4,000 pieces of sensitive customer information in garbage dumpsters behind its Levelland, TX facility. After filing court papers January 10th, 2008, State Attorney General Greg Abbott said he is seeking a fine of up to $500 for each record containing personal identifying information and civil penalties of up to $50,000 for each violation of the state's Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. (Source: Houston Chronicle)

- TJX agreed to pay Visa $41 MILLION in a data breach settlement reached in November, 2007. TJX operates 2,500 Bob's, Marshall's, HomeGoods, AJ Wright and TJ Maxx stores nationwide, and says more than 45 million customer accounts were exposed during an ongoing security breach. Others suing TJX claim that as many as 100 million accounts may have been compromised. (Source: eCommerceTimes.com)

- Personal information belonging to approximately 650,000 customers of J.C. Penny and other retailers was reported missing from an Iron Mountain, Inc. data storage warehouse in October, 2007. The information was contained on a backup computer tape, which included nearly 150,000 social security numbers. (Source: MSNBC.com)

- The UCI Medical Center in Orange County, CA, is unable to account for roughly 1,600 file boxes stored in an off-site university warehouse. The files contain medical records and personal information (including social security numbers) for nearly 300 patients, and were noticed missing on March 6th, 2007. The 287 patients whose records were compromised have been notified of the information security breach. (Source: OCRegister.com)

- The FTC has taken a strong position regarding data breaches involving sensitive consumer information. In January 2006, ChoicePoint Inc. agreed to pay $10 million in penalties, $5 million in consumer redress, and twenty years of audits of its information security program after the consumer data broker compromised more than 163,00 consumer financial records. (Source: Law.com)

- Providence Health Systems lost control of the personal information and medical records of 365,000 of its Portland-area patients when computer backup tapes were stolen from an employee's automobile in late 2005. 250,000 of these records included patients' social security numbers. (Source: ComputerWorld.com)

Oregon DFCS Offers Oregon Businesses ID Theft Presentations
The Division of Finance and Corporate Securities (a division of Oregon's Department of Consumer and Business Services), has developed materials and presentations for consumers and businesses to better understand their rights and responsibilities. If you would like to schedule a presentation, please contact Diane Childs, DFCS Identity Theft Program Outreach Coordinator at 503-947-7423. (Source: Oregon Division of Finance and Corporate Securities)

Employee Spotlight: Scott Jenkins, Vice President

Whatever he does, Scott Jenkins is one of those guys who commits to something until the job's done - and done well. His career at Environmental Fibers International is no exception; Scott has been working for the company since he could legally pay taxes. Scott started pushing a broom in the EFI warehouse and gradually worked his way up to overseeing day to day recycling operations as Vice President.

"My title isn't really accurate, EFI is a tight-knit family-owned business and that means all of the employees wear a lot of hats. Being a team player is the nature of this business, in the workplace and in our community," says Jenkins. With the recent launch of EFI Secured Shredding, Scott has taken on additional duties managing the new division and couldn't be more excited. "Proper handling of sensitive documents has always been important, but in today's information-driven world it's an absolute necessity. Peoples' lives can be torn apart by identity theft. The EFI team is ideally equipped to support Portland area businesses and the local economy with our shredding and recycling services. That means we're all working together, businesses and consumers, to promote information security and support resource conservation worldwide."

In his off-time, Scott is a sponsored late-model stock car racer in the Whelen All-American Series, the third tier in the NASCAR organization below the Grand National East/West and Sprint/Nextel Cup series. "Like anything worth doing, racing is a tremendous amount of work. But I'm used to working my way up," explains Jenkins.

For more information about Scott Jenkins' racing, visit www.scottiejenkins.com.

Protecting Personal Information;
a Business Guide by Oregon Dept.
of Consumer & Business Services

National Association for
Information Destruction, Inc.

Federal Trade Commission
Information Compromise and
the Risk of Identity Theft:
Guidance for Your Business

US Department
of the Treasury
ID Theft
Resource Page

ID Theft Resource Center
Nonprofit Organization

Victims / Consumers
State & Local