MBE NEWS

MBE announces new Silent Address™ service
5/03/2009

MBE Business Service Centres have announced today the introduction of its unique Silent Address™ mail receiving service for people concerned with the growing menace of ID Theft.

Having recently seen an explosion of ID Theft crimes, with John Laws being the most recent high profile victim, MBE went to the drawing boards to see if a solution could be found. Police explain that criminals are merely rummaging through unsecured residential letterboxes and collecting bills, bank account and credit card numbers and forging a false identity based on the information collected.

"ID Theft has become a real problem. Our Silent Address™ service reduces the risk in two important ways, first we provide the subscriber with a real street mailing address that is not their residential address. Their actual residential address becomes private, just as a silent telephone number keeps someone’s phone number private", explains Mark Jones, MBE General Manager.

"Secondly, mail is received and placed in a secured, locked mailbox away from the prying eyes of potential thieves."

"Receiving confidential mail, bills, invoices, cheques and other vital mail in an unsecured letterbox at the front of the house is no longer acceptable. The risk is just too great", Jones continued.. "With Silent Address service, the subscriber is provided a real mailing address to receive bills, cheques, correspondence and even parcels."

"There’s another big advantage to the service – we’ll receive and sign for parcels on the customer's behalf so now internet purchases can be received safely and without the fear of theft from the doorstep. Our service will accept parcels from any carrier, not just Australia Post."

Silent Address™ also can provide optional SMS notification of how many letters have been received or anytime a parcel has been signed for. This can save the customer time and money as they won’t need to make unnecessary trips to check for their mail.

MBE Business Service Centres incorporate the best of a digital copy centre, traditional printer, mailing house, design firm, post office and computer centre in a convenient one-stop shop. Services include private mailboxes, priority courier, document production, direct mailing and much more. For further information, including franchisee enquiries, contact MBE on 1800 556 245 or log on to www.mbe.com.au

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MEDIA NOTE: Interviews with Mark Jones, General Manager, MBE Australia are available.

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Dandenong’s David Lindsay 'Franchisee of the Year'
28/01/2009

MBE Dandenong’s David Lindsay was named ‘2008 Franchisee of the Year’ at the weekend’s annual MBE Conference.

MBE’s highest honour, the award takes into account...

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Glen Waverley named ‘Franchisee of the Year'
28/01/2009

MBE Glen Waverley’s Peter Lindsay was named ‘2008 Franchisee of the Year’ at the weekend’s annual MBE Conference.

MBE’s highest honour, the award takes into account...

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MBE Advises Households to Beware
22/01/2009

MBE Parramatta’s Charles Batt today advised local residents to be vigilant of scams that try to steal their identity.

The warning follows news today that NSW Police had arrested and charged a 22-year-old Blacktown woman after she allegedly used her neighbours’ mail to transfer cash and buy goods over the internet.

More than $42,000 was allegedly transferred from the accounts of a number of residents in an Ashfield unit block and a further $23,000 worth of goods were allegedly illegally purchased using internet shopping websites.

“It’s incredible the amount of personal and financial information simply lying about unsecured in street letterboxes”, said Charles Batt, Manager, MBE Parramatta. “Few people would allow others to access their personal email without a password, yet we receive the same types of documents in the post and the majority of street letterboxes are completely unprotected.”

To significantly reduce the risk of identity theft, Batt recommends households consider a private mailbox.

“Our private mail receiving service greatly enhances the security of sensitive mail and allows people concerned about identity theft to take that crucial extra step in maintaining their privacy.”

The MBE Private Mailbox Service has a full street address that allows householders to keep their real residential address confidential. Items such as cheques, bank statements, bills, medical records and other private correspondence are received at the MBE street address – not a post office box number. This allows the resident’s mail to be treated in the same manner as a person who opts for a silent telephone number.

Batt continues, “The mail is received directly from Australia Post and placed in a locked, secure mailbox in a well presented, well-lit MBE lobby area. Access to the mail is on a 24/7 basis or else the contents can be forwarded on to another destination, anywhere in the world. Compare that with mail being dropped into an unsecured letterbox out on the street, with all the possible theft and fraud implications.”

Batt also reminded people to shred old bills, financial records, receipts and expired credit and other cards, and never give out personal information to someone they don’t know and trust.  “Identity thieves will use any number of methods to build up a profile on people – including rummaging in garbage for records of past purchases, expired credit cards or telephone and utility
bills. Destroy these by ripping them up or shredding them before you discard them. Your personal information is valuable; don’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”

MBE has more than 40 locations throughout Australia including Smith St, Parramatta. In addition to private mailboxes, MBE also provides a complete range of business and office services including telephone answering, couriers, office supplies, packaging, printing and copying.

For further information contact MBE on 1800 556 245 or log on to www.mbe.com.au.

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MEDIA CONTACT: For further information please contact -
Corrina Frankham or Jody Hammond
Write Away Communication & Events
Ph: 02 9978 1410 / 0414 356 009

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MBE credits financial crisis with business boom
15/12/2008

Celebrating the opening of the 6000th MBE Business Service Centre worldwide, MBE Australia General Manager Mark Jones credits the global financial crisis and MBE’s sustainable business model for his company’s latest growth.

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MBE Stores sends Christmas spirit w WineShip
4/12/2008

of buying the perfect pressie for a loved one overseas and posting it in time for arrival under their evergreen, and it’s enough to turn even the merriest merrymaker into a grinch.

Thankfully MBE stores has a last-minute shopping solution – send them your favourite Australian wine.

With more than 130 grape varieties used by commercial winemakers throughout the country, Australia boasts a number of world-class top-drops including the Hunter Valley Semillon, the Margaret River Cabernet-Sauvignon and the Barossa Valley Shiraz.

“What better way to introduce an overseas colleague or friend to the beautiful array of quality Australian wines than by sending them a bottle to kick off Christmas Day,” says MBE store manager Martin Snowdon. “Best of all, it’s not too late.”

MBE can ship wine in specialised 1, 2, 3 or 6 bottle packs anywhere in Australia and to many overseas destinations including New Zealand, France and Japan within days, meaning last-minute shoppers can even send wine during the week before Christmas – long past the deadline of other postal services.

“In the past, sending wine to a loved one either here or overseas was very difficult, if not impossible. Customs regulations and shipping rules made it just too hard. With MBE’s WineShip™, all customers need to do is come into the store with the bottles they wish to send and we’ll ensure it arrives in time. Simple!” says Martin.

With more than 6000 independently owned outlets around the world, in addition to WineShip™, MBE Business Service Centres provide convenient and value-added business services to general consumers, ‘on the road’ corporate representatives, small-to-medium size enterprises and the smalloffice/home-office (SOHO) market.


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MEDIA NOTE - For further information and images please contact:
Corrina Frankham or Jody Hammond, Write Away Communication & Events
Ph: 02 9978 1400 / 0414 356 009 Email: corrina@writeaway.com.au; jody@writeaway.com.au

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