To combat this growing threat, largely sponsored by China, the FBI is starting an economic espionage  awareness campaign in key hot spots to educate

Federal Bureau of Investigation Seal (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

American workers about corporate espionage and  suspicious behavior.  Initial campaigns will start in areas with high concentrations of government contractors, including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and North Carolina.

According to the latest economic espionage report to Congress from the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive,  foreign collectors are  most interested in the following areas:

• Information and communications technology, which form the backbone of nearly every other technology;
• Business information that pertains to supplies of scarce natural resources or that provides global actors an edge in negotiations with U.S. businesses or the U.S. government;
• Military technologies, particularly marine systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other aerospace/aeronautic technologies; and
• Civilian and dual-use technologies in fast-growing sectors like clean energy, health care/pharmaceuticals, and agricultural technology.

Much of this information is easily available and can be taken on flash drives, cell phones or other small devices by greedy, disgruntled, unhappy or financially needy employees, as well as people who are vulnerable to blackmail or have allegiances to other countries.

Certain corporate policies and procedures governing access to sensitive documents can help, but the FBI is highlighting suspicious activities and providing a hotline for reporting:

You can help as well. In our experience, those who purloin trade secrets and other sensitive information from their own companies and sell them overseas exhibit certain behaviors that co-workers could have picked up on ahead of time, possibly preventing the information breaches in the first place. Many co-workers came forward only after the criminal was arrested. Had they reported those suspicions earlier, the company’s secrets may have been kept safe.

Here are some warning signs that MAY indicate that employees are spying and/or stealing secrets from their company:

• They work odd hours without authorization.
• Without need or authorization, they take proprietary or other information home in hard copy form and/or on thumb drives, computer disks, or e-mail.
• They unnecessarily copy material, especially if it’s proprietary or classified.
• They disregard company policies about installing personal software or hardware, accessing restricted websites, conducting unauthorized searches, or downloading confidential material.
• They take short trips to foreign countries for unexplained reasons.
• They engage in suspicious personal contacts with competitors, business partners, or other unauthorized individuals.
• They buy things they can’t afford.
• They are overwhelmed by life crises or career disappointments.
• They are concerned about being investigated, leaving traps to detect searches of their home or office or looking for listening devices or cameras.

If you suspect someone in your office may be committing economic espionage, report it to your corporate security officer and to your local FBI office (704.672.6100) or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/.

If you want help setting up corporate policies to help protect trade secrets, contact one of our business attorneys.

Related articles

• Probe links corporate spying to Chinese government (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)
• FBI to Blitz Public With Economic Espionage Ads (comsecllc.blogspot.com)
• Man pleads guilty to stealing company’s formulas (sfgate.com)

Although I routinely form new entities and counsel the business owners, I had forgotten the sense of both anticipation and accomplishment that accompany a business opening.

For seasoned business-owners, what advice would you give Tim, or anyone else brave enough to start out a new venture right now?

Here is what Fortune said:

To hear local entrepreneurs tell it, Durham is putting the D in diversity. Once known for tobacco and textiles, today it’s part of The Research Triangle, the world’s largest research and development center. The city is home to an array of high-tech, medical and financial services companies, as well as federal agencies and educational institutions.

The locals are a highly educated bunch: Duke University, North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College employ and train area residents. Business support organizations like the Institute for Minority Economic Development and the Women’s Business Center offer the resources entrepreneurs need to thrive.

The city’s strong sense of community helps its assorted enterprises and individuals come together. It’s the kind of place where businesses embrace struggling local schools by donating supplies, volunteering classroom speakers and hosting field trips.

Living, business and construction costs remain low compared to national averages. Another local perk: Durham offers plenty of ways to unwind after a hard day’s work, from kayaking and hiking to performance art and gallery tours.

I’d love to hear from people who have started in Durham and in other places. What has the Bull City experience been like?