Identity theft has become one of Britain’s biggest problems! It affects many people across the UK and involves criminals impersonating their victims so that they can steal their money, possessions and services they may be entitled to by fraud.

In most cases in order to steal a person’s identity, the criminal will need to acquire your personal identity information. This can be any official document which is unique to you such as your passport, national insurance number (which is often printed on various papers addressed to you), electoral roll information, birth certificates and financial information.

You may be reassured to know that identity theft cases in recent years is down by two-thirds which is due to companies performing more sophisticated methods of security to protect their important, personal information. However it is still said to cost the UK over £1 billion every year!

The problem is that many individuals and businesses do not understand how valuable your post is to the theft of your identity! Scammers, fraudsters and other types of criminals will sift through your post and household or business rubbish to find important information about you. This doesn’t just mean your name and address; it also includes information such as your bank account details, driving licence number or National Insurance number. The minute they have this information, it’s a piece of cake for them to assume your identity, opening bank accounts in your name, obtaining contract mobile phones, credit cards, the list is endless!

It would serve you well to remember that even unsolicited offers of credit from credit card companies, and this means in particular the pre-approved lines of credit which we all receive in the post from time to time, can be highly dangerous. Fraudsters know what they’re doing and using various tricks can buy a car in your name, buy a mobile phone in your name, file for bankruptcy in your name, and ultimately assume a passport by pretending to be you!

This is all avoidable by simply protecting your post! Shred it, do not leave it lying around, black out valuable information before you dispose of it; just don’t chuck it intact! Our Trodat Identity Protection Stamp is a great idea for businesses and individuals alike! Providing the perfect solution to identity theft, this Trodat protection stamp will print an image to block out your personal information on documents before disposing of them. Manufactured from 65% post consumer recycled plastic, this stamps prints images 46 x 18mm in size, what’s more, when it runs dry, replacement pads are also available!

• Trodat Identity Protection Stamp
• Manufactured from a minimum of 65% post consumer recycled plastic.
• Description: Prints an image to block out your identity on documents when recycling or disposing
• Replacement pads are also available
• Size: 46x18mm
• Just £10.57 INC VAT

If you’re concerned about your identity and would like to know more about steps you can take to protect yourself or your business, we will be happy to advise and to recommend products which you can use to either destroy your papers before disposal or black out certain information. Simply call us on 0870 766 1624.

Your desk – A monument of yourself, an illustration of your character and a shadow of your home. From my experience it is fair to say that your desk really does reflect who you are; warts and all and this goes for both the office desk and the home office desk! Now as well as having a fantastic range of desks to choose from, made by a quality array of different brands, we also have everything you could possibly need to accessorise it, organise it and  give it a touch of class. If you’re a desk hopper, there’s never time to allow it to get a mess, but if you’ve been lucky enough to have your own desk in the workplace, value it – and your reputation! Many people say that a messy desk is a messy mind, symbolising someone who is un-organised, incapable and out of their depth. Many employers frown upon their staff who cannot keep their space organised and will favour those who can, even in terms of promotion and pay rise. Why sacrifice such benefits and your good reputation when there are products at hand that can help you keep your desk in order?

At Office 365 you will find many desktop accessories which provide homes for all you’re little bits and pieces, making sure that your possessions are at hand when you need them, not under a heap! With desk blotters available in full and half demy options, book and magazine racks to free up space and keep your literature handy, clipboards, desk mats to protect your desks surface, desk tidies for all those bits and pieces, desk drawers, letter trays and filing units for the filing of frequently needed paperwork, hole punches, perforators, pins clips and fasteners, rubber stamps, scissors and letter openers, stamp pad ink, staplers and removers, staples, tape dispensers, telephone indexes and useful telephone arms which are great for freeing up some desk space, Office 365 certainly have everything you could need!

So now you know how to keep your desk tidy, the tools to do so, and where to get them from, you have no excuses. Turn it around now and let 2011 be the year you impress your boss, get yourself organised and further your career.

It’s not easy to keep your staff happy and working to the best of their ability. As an employer you must not only manage your staff and be an excellent communicator, but you must also be able to keep your team driven and feeling valued. One of the best ways to keep your office motivated is to take part in seasonal celebrations. Let’s face it; it’s not easy going into work over the Christmas season and as Christmas day draws nearer and nearer, we all tend to want to be with our families and friends celebrating. However if you bring a little Christmas into the office, your staff we feel as though they are celebrating the moment too. Have you ever worked in an office where the decorations where adequate for such an occasion? More often than not, offices are decorated with very little in the way of holiday decorations; however we can help you make a tree which will be sure to impress even the most demanding of Christmas enthusiasts.

You Will Need

• Christmas tree – artificial is best
• Paper clips
• Various other office supplies
• CD’s
• Shredded Paper

Firstly you will need to put together your tree using the instructions provided. Remember, the best time to add lights on any Christmas tree is now. It is pretty much impossible to add lights in an effective way when you have already loaded the tree with decorations.

Next you will need to decide on an object to go on top of the tree which is symbolic to your office, some kind of mascot maybe. This would have been hopeless in the case of one of my previous jobs; our office mascot was my 2 year old daughter! Take a look around the office, maybe there’s a teddy that you all believe brings you luck, a stapler which has been lost and found a ridiculous amount of times and has become some kind of a joke, or maybe there’s a giant rubber band ball which everyone has been adding too. Whatever seems appropriate for your office, use it. You may need to use paper clips to help secure your object to the top of the tree.

Your next stage would be to decorate your tree with a tinsel substitute, remember, this is an office Christmas tree. You could link paper clips to make shiny silver chains or join CD’s using rubber bands to make a giant shiny length of tinsel. Alternatively, cut sticky strips from Post-it Notes to make paper chains (this works best with various different coloured Post-it Notes). Drape your tinsel substitutes around the tree making sure to evenly cover the tree.

Using paper clips or tape, hang various office products from your tree as bauble substitutes. Use items such as staple removers, pens, staple strips, rubber stamps, glue sticks, you get the idea. You could even go all out there and throw on some shredded paper or hole punch confetti as artificial snow.

Last but not least stick some pressies under the tree. Maybe you could organise some kind of secret Santa where everyone picks a name out of a hat and buys a present (up to a certain value) for that person. Your tree is now complete – enjoy!

At Office 365 we are fast becoming noticed for our wide variety of rubber stamps. We offer a selection that includes all the top brands and options such as bespoke, word, number, date, pre-inked and many more. However the brand we feel the most proud of is our Colop brand, more specifically, their ‘green’ printer line of stamps.

These environmentally friendly self-inking stamps set a new benchmark in design and features. The most popular benefit of the new Printer Line is the patented large index window which allows the user (for the first time) to portray not only the imprint itself but also personal information on the index card in a flexible and easy way. This modern design has impressed all those who have used it with its unmistakable appearance, plus guarantees ease of use for the user. New technical innovations make this Printer Line more reliable and durable than other competing and similar products. The high-developed ink is one of these technical features and ensures even more imprints of sharp and clear consistent quality. The pad-changing is as simple as a finger-tip touch, which is easy, intuitive and clean, plus the new patented locking system enables storage and transportation of the printer in locked position which helps saving space and costs. With non-slip rubber feet and marks on the casing, this stamp allows for accurate positioning of the text to be printed.

The Green Line products are made predominantly from recycled materials; Colop buys in these materials and then re-uses them. The recycled packaging materials are made from 100% uncoloured recycled cardboard. Colop offers models from the Printer Line and models from the Classic Line.

• 38 x 14mm
• Maximum 4x lines of text
• E20 replacement pads
• During the manufacturing process, the plastics used are produced form over 80% recycled material – the packaging is made from 100% uncoloured, recycled cardboard
• Self-inking stamp for every office use
• One ink pad will give thousands of sharp quality impressions
• Available in Copy Stamp, Draft Stamp & Confidential Stamp

Responsible acting to protect our environment is one of the leading principles of Colop and has been for years. Since August 2008 Colop have been certified ISO 14001 (environmental management). Their quality management system is already certified according to ISO 9001 and has been for several years. This ensures that products and services are subjected to regulated quality criteria. The certification according to ISO 14001, that had been successfully completed now, confirms that Colop possesses a functioning and fully integrated environmental system.