The Costco Connection

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

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.

Terms and conditions apply. See “Services” at Costco.com for details. All services are provided by third parties and may not be available in all areas. Services and offers are subject to change without notice.

THERE’S MORE TO water than meets the eye—especially as it relates to various bodily processes and daily activities. Here’s a quick refresher on water’s critical role in keeping you on top of your game and some compelling reasons to choose bottled water as your primary source for the good stuff.

• The Mayo Clinic cautions that lack of water may make you tired.

• Water helps protect body organs and tissue.

• Water may help to remove waste from your body.

• Some dispensers feature hot water for instant and convenient food and drink preparation.

• Bottled water is strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, with requirements that can be more stringent than those for tap water sources.

DS Services’ bottled water delivery plan from Costco Services includes delivery of 5-gallon bottles to your home or office with a minimum of three bottles every four weeks.

Convenient and affordable three-bottle plans start at $15.99 per four-week billing period for Executive members.

For more information, including specific terms and conditions, visit costcowater.com.

ACCORDING TO THE Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, fraud affects nearly a third of all small businesses, a higher fraud rate than for larger companies. Signs of fraud are not always obvious, and cleaning up afterward is never as easy as taking steps to prevent fraud from occurring in the first place. Here are some things you can do.

• Always use up-to-date security software and encryption to protect computer systems with business and customer data. LARGE;SCALE DATA breaches are in the news lately and may leave you wondering about the security of your personal information. Checking credit card statements frequently may help alert you to credit card fraud but will not help you monitor for identity theft.

Here are some signs you may be an identity theft victim:

• You receive emails from companies you know that look suspicious or request your personal information. Do not click on links within an email.

• Medical providers bill you for services you didn’t receive.

• Debt collectors call you or send you collection letters about debts that aren’t yours.

• The IRS notifies you that several tax returns were filed under your name.

Rather than constantly checking all of

PAYMENT PROCESSING
WATER DELIVERY

Avoiding business fraud losses
Building a water-
tight case for H2O

your financial connections, you might want to consider enrolling in an ongoing credit and identity monitoring service that will send you prompt alerts when certain changes occur so you can take appropriate action.

Costco Services offers a service from Identity Guard® called Total Protection®. You get access to your credit report and scores, credit and Social Security number monitoring with alerts, $1 million identity theft insurance in case you become a victim of identity theft, access to Victim Recovery Service agents and a public record report from more than 400 sources. And Costco members receive exclusive pricing discounts for Identity Guard Total Protection, and monitoring for identity theft for a child at an additional cost.

Go to Costco.com and search “my identity” for more information.

UPDATE
ServicesCOSTCO

5months left Upgrade to smart-chip card technology by October 2015

Payment processing deadline

IDENTITY GUARD

How will I know if I am a victim of identity theft?

• Carefully monitor all business financial and credit accounts, including your business financial and credit report.

• Process transactions using a smart-chip/EMV terminal. Smart-chip/EMV cards contain an embedded chip capable of more sophisticated security than a traditional mag-netic-stripe card and cardholder validation and authentication.

Starting October 1, 2015, if your business
accepts and processes a counterfeit transac-
tion on a non-smart-chip/EMV-enabled ter-
minal, the liability for that transaction is
yours, not the card issuer’s. Check with your
payment-processing provider today to find
out about the proper equipment needed.