The Costco Connection

COSTCO SERVICES

Update

To learn more about our complete suite of Costco services,
click on the “Services” link at Costco.com or call toll-free 1-800-220-6000.

Don’t forget to use your Reward on your next trip to Costco.

Some restrictions apply. See “Services” at Costco.com for applicable terms and conditions. All services are provided by third parties, may not be available in all areas and are subject to change without notice.

MORE THAN HALF of all stolen vehicles are never recovered, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Car thieves are everywhere, with some states,

PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE, or PBX, connects the internal telephones within a business. Costco offers great deals from Intermedia on hosted PBX phone service for small and medium-size businesses, but one of the best benefits is that it can help you, and your staff, stay productive at your desk or on the road. Here are just a few examples of what it can do.

BETWEEN DATA BREACHES, the Heart-bleed bug and other threats, no one could blame you for feeling your valuable information is unsafe. Which is why it’s so important to be sure the services you’re using in your personal and/ or business life are doing what’s necessary to secure your data. Here’s a roundup of Costco Services and how they fit the bill.

; Elavon payment processing. Security includes point-to-point encryption, and chip and pin (EMV) payment technology.

; Identity Guard. Keeps an eye on your credit and alerts you to problems if they occur; addresses monitoring, Internet surveillance, identity monitoring, lost-wallet protection and much more (see story on page 84).

; Business and personal checks. Costco’s high-security checks feature the latest anti-coun-terfeiting check security, such as a foil hologram, prismatic background pattern, heat-reactive ink and a security pantographic box.

; Intuit Payroll. All online transactions are protected using the same kind of encryption used by leading banks.

For more information on these and other services for personal and business use, go to Costco.com and click “Services.”

Services to help you
feel secure
You can take it
with you

; Automatically forward desktop calls to mobile phones with Find Me/Follow Me, or ring mobile and desk phones at the same time.

;Collaborate by forwarding your voicemail via email.

; Enable your smartphone or tablet to manage your Find Me/Follow Me settings. This lets you ensure that critical calls will reach you no matter where you are.

; Softphone Mobile App allows staff to use their smartphones as extensions of the hosted PBX. Don’t miss a single

VEHICLE THEFT PREVENTION TIPS

PROTECT YOURSELF OFFICE PHONES

such as California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Nevada and Maryland, leading the way, says Forbes magazine. Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance, which provides insurance through Costco’s Member Services, offers the following tips for how you can make it harder for the bad guys to win.

; Take your keys out of the ignition whenever you leave your car, even if it’s only for a minute.

; Lock your doors; close your windows. ; Park in well-lit areas.

; Hide anything valuable.

; Use anti-theft devices, such as alarm systems, steering column collars and steering wheel, brake pedal or tire locks. Look into vehicle identification number (VIN) etching, a chemical process used to inscribe the VIN on all of the windows of your vehicle.

; Consider smart keys that are matched to your car via a coded frequency; fuse cutoffs and kill switches that disable the car until you disengage them; and starter, ignition and fuel disablers that keep fuel and electricity from reaching the engine until a hidden switch is activated.

Taking these steps may also help you get discounts on your auto insurance. Check out Ameriprise for your auto and home insurance. Go to Costco.com and search “protect,” or call 1-888-404-5365 to get a quote.