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RoadFish.com Releases Their Top Tips for Protecting Against Identity Theft

roadfish.com

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) January 27, 2012

RoadFish.com men’s lifestyle and finance magazine released their top tips for protecting against identity theft which can wreak havoc on personal finances and future finance endeavors. RoadFish’s advice comes after the news that early filers tax refunds will be will delayed due to the implementation of anti-cyberfraud measures by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “An estimated 8.6 million households had at least one person age 12 or older who experienced identity theft victimization in 2010. This was an increase from the 6.4 million households victimized in 2005.” That is an approximate 33% increase in identity theft.

The advice provided by RoadFish contains useful tips such as keeping a watchful eye on all bank and credit accounts. They suggest reviewing your accounts on a regular basis, obtaining a credit report once a year, contacting credit bureaus to correct incorrect information, only making online purchases through secure checkout, shredding documents with personally identificable information such as account numbers and addresses, as well as refusing to give out your social security number unless required for tax or benefit purposes.

Susan Tompor of the Detroit Free Press wrote, “The IRS told tax professionals in an IRS alert Thursday afternoon that the one-week delay for some refunds relates to fine-tuning IRS systems to adjust for new safeguards put in place this tax season to provide stronger protection against refund fraud….The safeguards relate to growing concerns about cyberfraud and crooks who are obtaining refunds by stealing Social Security numbers, creating fake returns, filing 1040s electronically early in the season and obtaining tax refunds.”

RoadFish’s editor is quoted as saying, “Now I get that it can be annoying that your tax return is a whole week late, but honestly, if that is the price to pay to have the IRS on point to catch fraudulent tax returns with stolen social security numbers then that is a small price. It is horrifying to me that people are despicable enough to steal someone’s personal information for their own gain, but it does happen. With identity theft on the rise, spreading the word on simple actions that can be taken to minimize the risk of someone muddying your credit report or taking over your life seemed right.”

As RoadFish released their tips, NJToday.net released a story about 2 people in Middlesex County that were charged with filing false federal income tax returns.

NJToday.net stated, “According to documents filed in this case: Both defendants are charged with preparing with co-conspirators false tax returns in the name of another person. The returns included an address that did not correspond with the actual address of the person whose name and Social Security number was used on the fraudulent return; false statements about income; false W-2 forms from employers who did not employ the person named on the return; false information about income tax withholding, and false claims for refunds.”

Hopefully, RoadFish’s tips will help unsuspecting Americans to guard their personal and financial information in light of this real issue.

About RoadFish.com

RoadFish.com is an online men’s lifestyle and finance magazine targeted toward men in their 30′s and 40′s that have already attained a moderate level of success in life, and are striving toward more. It goes over current events of interest to this group, such things as exciting adventures, consumer interests, financial health as well as ways to make more and save more money. It is a publication owned by Purpose Inc.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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New Jersey Lawyers File Identity Theft Class Action Against Bank of America

(PRWEB) June 4, 2005

The New Jersey law firms of Pellettieri, Rabstein & Altman and Lynch Keefe Bartels filed a complaint against Bank of America on Wednesday June 1, 2005 in New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division, Mercer County (Jones v. Bank of America; Docket Number not yet available) on behalf of Trenton resident Cindy Jones. The attorneys announced their intention to seek class action status to represent other identity theft victims as well against financial services giant Bank of America for damages resulting from the theft of tens of thousands of customer information files.

Pellettieri, Rabstein & Altman, with offices in Princeton, Mount Holly and Nutley NJ, and Lynch Keefe Bartels, with offices in Shrewsbury, New Jersey will serve as co-counsel in this matter and seek class action status by the Court.

Ms. Jones, a customer of Bank of America, was informed that her personal financial information, including her Social Security number, were found in the possession of individuals arrested by Hackensack, New Jersey police in the growing scandal. Of immediate concern to her attorneys, are potential unauthorized use of Ms. JonesÂ’ identity between the times of the theft and the arrests, the need (and cost) to carefully monitor Ms. JonesÂ’ credit reports for unauthorized activity during the next several years, and the availability of Ms. JonesÂ’ identity for her own use.

Hackensack, New Jersey police announced that more than 676,000 customers were affected when bank employees illegally sold information on more than 1 million accounts from 4 financial services companies: Bank of America, Wachovia, PNC and Commerce Bank. Police first announced arrests of 9 people, including 7 current and former bank employees, on Monday, May 23, 2005.

“Bank of America reported alerting about 60,000 customers who were included on computer disks discovered by police, bank spokeswoman Alex Liftman said Monday,” reported the Associated Press (“Banks Notify Customers of Data Theft” by Paul Nowell, May 23, 2005.

CNN/Money reported: “As this gets going, these numbers are going to go up and up, Hackensack Detective Captain Frank Lomia told CNN, adding that more arrests may be coming in the case. … The data-theft may have been the biggest ever in banking, the Hackensack NJ police department said in a statement citing an unnamed Treasury Department official.” (“Bank Security Breach May Be Biggest Yet”, CNN/Money, May 23, 2005)

Reports of lax handling and rampant selling of confidential and personal customer financial information increasingly blankets the press. Epidemic demand for stolen identities appears to have been met by easy availability.

According to a news story carried by several New Jersey newspapers, “Protecting Your Privacy” by Ellen Simon of the Associated Press (May 24, 2005) highlighted examples of problems confronting and solutions available financial services companies, based on interviews computer security professionals who spoke of relatively inexpensive prevention steps, such as: Monitored internal audit trails, restricting data access, limiting data collection, basic encryption, secure shipping, and simple background checks. The experts also raised corporate management hurdles security measure confront, like low priority and cost-benefit perceptions.

“Bank of America has a fiduciary responsibility to protect clients’ confidential personal and account information and could have taken some reasonable steps to prevent these thefts,” explains Arthur Penn, Esq., a partner and mass torts and class action litigation attorney at the New Jersey law firm of Pellettieri, Rabstein & Altman. “Bank of America is in a business based on trust, and they violated that trust. So this lawsuit seeks to hold them accountable.”

“This is more than a story about the massive theft of customers’ personal financial data,” says John Keefe, Jr., Esq., a partner and New Jersey mass torts and class action litigation attorney at Lynch Keefe Bartels. “This is also a story about the massive failure of the bank, or banks, to take reasonable actions to protect their customers’ personal financial information from identity theft.”

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.



ProtectMyId.com Helps Consumers Choose an Identity Theft Solution

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) April 13, 2009

ProtectMyID.com, a leading, full-service provider of identity theft detection, protection and fraud resolution, today announced ways to help consumers choose an Identity Theft Solution. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing online crimes in the United States. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 9 million Americans have their identity stolen each year, including over 400,000 children. That’s why it’s vital to help reduce risk and help protect individuals and their families with a comprehensive identity Theft solution.

With literally dozens of identity theft protection products on the market today, it can be hard for even the savviest consumer to know which solution is right for them. Here are the most important things to look for when researching Identity Theft solutions:

Daily Credit Report Monitoring – Checking a credit report once a year isn’t enough. The best protection comes from daily credit monitoring. Make sure you choose a product that monitors all three major credit bureaus every day. This is important because information might not be consistent from one bureau to another; monitoring all three credit bureaus provides better protection.

E-mail/SMS Alerts – Many products offer alerts when key changes occur, and though this is an important feature, look for a product that offers “all clear” emails as well; that way, consumers know it is working. A truly comprehensive solution should alert any changes or suspicious activity in credit reports, this includes:

    New accounts opened in an individual’s name
    New applications for credit
    Address changes
    Public record changes
    Potentially negative information on credit files, such as a bankruptcy

Resolution Assistance – Make sure the solution offers dedicated Identity Theft Resolution professionals, who can act as an advocate and work to resolve any fraud or identity theft issues that might arise.

Credit, Debit & ATM Card Protection – In the event of lost, stolen or misused cards, make sure the service will reimburse for any stolen funds that a bank or credit card company is not responsible for.

ID Theft Guarantee – Having identity theft guarantee to reimburse for expenses not covered by the banks or credit card companies, should an identity get stolen, is an invaluable feature. The higher the amount, the safer a consumer will be. Play it safe and don’t settle for anything less than $ 1 million.

About ProtectMyID.com

ProtectMyID.com is a leading, full-service provider of identity theft detection, protection and fraud resolution. We are passionate about helping our customers defend against identity theft and shielding them from the hassles and financial loss that can accompany this crime. Our U.S.-based team, which includes experienced Identity Theft Resolution Professionals, is dedicated to providing easy-to-use and convenient products as well as personal service that our customers can rely on.

ProtectMyID.com is part of a family of online sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy, and inexpensive access to their credit histories. It is now the leading provider of online consumer identity theft protection, credit monitoring, credit scores and credit reports to millions of U.S. consumers.

About Experian

Experian is a global leader in providing analytical and information services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions. We employ more than 12,500 people in over 32 countries, supporting clients in more than 60 countries. Annual sales are in excess of $ 3.1 billion (£1.7bn, €2.5bn). Experian Group Limited is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE-100 index. Our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland and we have operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, California and Nottingham, UK.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Identity Theft 911 Chief Executive Officer Receives Communitas Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility

(PRWEB) January 11, 2012

Identity Theft 911, the nation’s premier identity management and data risk management services provider, today announced that chief executive officer, Matt Cullina, has been named winner of a Communitas award for his work in helping to protect foster teens from becoming victims of identity theft. Cullina is fully entrenched in foster youth identity theft issues through his professional experience with a leading provider of identity management services, as well as his personal experience as a foster parent and adoptive parent. An ongoing effort among subject matter experts at Identity Theft 911, the win demonstrates the company’s commitment to working together to create an impactful and rewarding philanthropy program.

Communitas Awards recognize exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals for excellence in community service and corporate social responsibility. The Award is an international effort to recognize the spirit of communitas – people helping people. Communitas winners generously give of themselves and their resources, and are changing the way they do business to benefit their communities.

“Matt and his team exemplify the true meaning of the Communitas Award; they unselfishly give of themselves and they are forever-changing their surrounding community,” said Ed Dalheim, executive director, Communitas Awards. “Matt’s involvement and passion for protecting and helping foster youth is shown through his team’s commitment to foster youth issues and demonstrated through Identity Theft 911’s pledge to corporate social responsibility.”

Cullina has been an active contributor on the legislative front by working with U.S. Representative Jim Langevin of Rhode Island on a bill to protect foster youth from financial abuse. The bill was signed into law on October 11, 2011, and contains provisions that shield foster youth from identity theft, as well as provide resolution and support services should identity theft occur. On July 11, Cullina donated his time to serve as a panelist at the FTC forum Stolen Futures for child identity theft, which highlighted issues in the foster care system.

“Matt has been a tremendous partner in efforts to give foster youth the opportunities they deserve, providing invaluable leadership to help address the unique challenges faced by an underserved community,” said Langevin. “This recognition for corporate social responsibility is certainly well-earned.”

As one of Cullina’s main efforts, Identity Theft 911 united with First Star, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of America’s abused and neglected children. First Star Founder Peter Samuelson and Cullina delivered a series of educational seminars to ninth grade foster children in Los Angeles County in a program called the First Star UCLA Bruin Academy. Cullina’s team of fraud specialists donated their time and training during the five week course. Identity Theft 911 and First Star will replicate this academy at universities and colleges throughout the country in 2012.

“We are in a unique position to create a positive impact on the lives of foster youth, especially in helping them achieve financial stability and start with a clean identity profile,” said Matt Cullina. “It is tremendously rewarding to have my team’s efforts recognized by the Communitas Awards committee.”

About Identity Theft 911

Founded in 2003, Identity Theft 911 is the nation’s premier consultative provider of identity and data risk management, resolution and education services. The company serves 13 million households across the country and provides fraud solutions for a range of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, the country’s largest insurance companies, corporate benefit providers, banks and credit unions and membership organizations. Since 2005, the company has helped more than 150,000 businesses manage data breaches. For more information, please visit http://www.idt911.com.

About Communitas Awards

Communitas Awards is an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (http://www.amcpros.com), a several thousand member group that honors creative achievement and fosters partnerships with charities and community organizations. As part of its mission, AMCP gives grants to community organizations and underwrites a large portion of Communitas expenses.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.



Guardian ID Tech Now Offering CLEAR ID — the Premier Identity Security Solution — to Consumers Online

Philadelphia, PA (Vocus) November 16, 2010

Guardian ID Tech, the authorized direct agent and sales channel partner of National ID Recovery (NIDR), today announced that CLEAR ID, NIDR’s technologically advanced personal identity security solution, is now available to families and individuals for online purchase at guardianclearid.com.

CLEAR ID is the personal identity theft, prevention and restoration solution preferred by top global insurance, banking, hospitality, retail, and telecommunications corporations, and major departments of the U.S. Government. CLEAR ID is consistently rated “A” by the Better Business Bureau, and offers several distinct advantages to consumers:

    A single plan covers an entire household*
    Covers pre-existing identity theft cases
    Provides fully managed restoration services
    Completely recovers a stolen identity in as little as 14 days
    Detects real (true name) and “synthetic” (real and fake information) fraud
    Assists law enforcement officials in capturing the culprits
    Offers legal assistance when needed
    Provides document replacement services
“CLEAR ID is a proven product that provides consumers with a professionally tested and accepted solution for identity theft,” said Ron Cutler, Guardian ID Tech CEO. “Our business customers love this product and are often ready to sign up within five minutes of our presentation. We want to give individuals and families easy access to the same high-quality identity theft solution, so they too can have greater peace of mind, especially as we enter the holiday season.”

Providing far more extensive coverage than credit monitoring services, CLEAR ID’s powerful combination of technology and sweeping customer services covers 49 different types of identity theft, across 10 major categories of fraud:

    Loan Fraud—mortgage, home equity, car, other consumer, etc.
    Tax Fraud—Federal, State, Local
    Utility Fraud—existing and new services; electric/gas, wireless, Internet, etc.
    Medical Fraud—records, insurance, pharmaceuticals etc.
    Employment Fraud—retirement records, professional, educational credentials, etc.
    Bank Fraud—ATM, debit card, securities, checking accounts, etc.
    Credit Card Fraud—new and existing accounts; retail, bank, etc.
    Benefits Fraud—Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance, etc.
    Government Fraud—Social Security, state ID cards, court judgments, etc.
    Criminal Fraud—stolen wallet/purse, data breach, auto, etc.
Finally, CLEAR ID removes the burden and anxiety associated with identity theft, through its total support services that manage the entire restoration process, from document management (preparation and replacement) and notification of all authorities, bureaus and other agencies and organizations, to making all of the necessary phone calls and appointments, and providing advice and guidance at every step.

CLEAR ID from Guardian ID Tech is available to families and individuals in the continental U.S. and the Territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, as a single household plan with two packaging options: CLEAR ID Essential for $ 99.95 per year and CLEAR ID Premier for $ 159.95 per year. Enrollment online is fast and easy at guardianclearid.com/sign-up/. For more information or group sales for non-profit organizations and businesses, contact Mason Cutler via email: mason(at)guardianclearid(dot)com, or by phone, +1 610.331.8079. Follow CLEAR ID on Twitter: @guardianclearid.

*One plan covers a household with two adults and any children living at home under age 18.

About Identity Theft

A study by Javelin Strategy and Research reported that identity theft affected 11 million people in the United States in 2009, an alarming 12% increase from 2008. Less than 12% of all identity theft can be detected by credit monitoring alone. However, credit monitoring only has the ability to alert victims to true name identity fraud, which occurs when real identity information is used, without modification. In true-name identity fraud, the fraudster actually poses as the victim.

Another type of identity fraud that is on the rise occurs when a thief creates a new identity by combining real and fake identifying information. This is known as synthetic identity fraud. Synthetic identity fraud accounts for the other 88% of identity theft. A typical synthetic identity fraud situation is when a criminal uses a Social Security Number in combination with a different name, or other variations of information.

About Guardian ID Tech

CLEAR ID is available online to consumers through Guardian ID Tech, the Authorized Direct Agent and Sales Channel Partner of NIDR. Guardian ID Tech is a personal identity theft solutions provider to businesses and families, providing comprehensive identity theft protection, recovery and restoration services, based on NIDR’s flagship CLEAR ID program.

About National ID Recovery

National ID Recovery (NIDR), the developer of CLEAR ID, is a personal identity theft solutions organization, staffed by experienced identity theft experts with backgrounds in the security, information technology, communications, sales, management and compliance fields. NIDR’s patented, proprietary database technology, combined with Power of Attorney and CLEAR ID Recovery Specialists, delivers the most comprehensive, tested and proven personal identity protection and restoration system available.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.



Identity Theft 911 Expert Profiles Customer Service Opportunities of Data Breach and Identity Theft Proactive and Resolution Services

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) October 12, 2010

Identity Theft 911 Director of Business Development David Speciale will teach a for-credit continuing education class on identity theft risks, identity management strategies, information security compliance and data breach notification plans at the Rural Mutual Insurance Company Agents and Managers’ Meeting on Oct. 13 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

PrivacyRights.org cites over 510 million sensitive records compromised in data breaches from 2005 through 2010. Lost business is the most costly outcome, with an average cost of $ 204 per compromised customer record, the Federal Trade Commission reported.

“We applaud Rural Mutual for stepping up on these emerging risks and we’re exited to train their experts,” said Identity Theft 911 CEO Matt Cullina. “Thieves are getting more sophisticated, and education is the best tool for defense. Policyholders are universally concerned about the threat of identity fraud. Insurance agent surveys verify that identity theft services are a conversation starter and a differentiator.”

Identity Theft 911 partners with businesses and governments to fight cybercriminals with the latest in breach security, data breach notification, information compliance, computer incident response and identity theft management. Identity Theft 911 experts regularly educate corporate and government professionals in identity theft trends and best prevention practices.

“With industry-proven prevention and tactics an insurance company can dramatically decrease the likelihood of deep financial and reputational damages that can happen overnight with a data breach or cyberattack,” Speciale said. “From agents to executives, everyone with a stake in the game wants to be aware of the changing digital landscape.”

Identity Theft 911’s LifeStages™ Identity Protection service protects insurance companies, and in the event of a data breach or identity theft situation, provides policyholders with a dedicated access to a fraud specialist for personalized, one-to-one assistance. The Breach Services program enables a business to protect existing and prospective customers, employees and anyone else with identifiable information contained in a breached database. This data breach program provides 24/7-access to highly trained fraud specialists who assist with credit fraud alerts, notify creditors and handle inquiries prompted by the notification.

A former insurance industry executive, educated in the law, Speciale brings more than a decade of experience in breach security and information management to help businesses secure their data. Speciale has held senior management positions throughout the United States with Allstate Insurance Company and internationally with AIG as Vice President for South East Asia.

About Rural Mutual Insurance Company

With more than 150 agents in more than 100 locations, Rural Mutual offers undivided attention in insuring what’s valuable to Wisconsin residents. Recognized as one of Ward’s top 50 property-casualty companies in the United States and rated “A Excellent” by A.M. Best, Rural Mutual has been proving first-rate service for more than 75 years.

About Identity Theft 911

Identity Theft 911is the nation’s premier identity theft and data breach management, resolution and education service. The company serves 36 million people across the country and provides fraud solutions for a range of organizations—including Fortune 500 companies, the country’s largest insurance companies, corporate benefit providers, banks and credit unions and membership organizations. For more information, visit our website and our Knowledge Center.

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Attachments

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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FraudLock – A New Weapon In Fight Against Identity Theft

Nottingham, UK (PRWEB) October 16, 2009

Boxer Carl Froch is preparing for the fight of his life on Saturday – secure in the knowledge that he has already dealt a knock out blow to identity thieves.

Froch, whose identity was stolen two years ago, has signed up to FraudLock Identity Theft Protection, a brand new service dedicated to fighting identity theft.

News of Froch’s decision to trust FraudLock with the protection of his identity comes during National Identity Fraud Week highlighting the growing danger of ID theft.

Identity theft has increased by 32% in 2009 making it the fastest growing white collar crime in Britain with a fraudulent transaction taking place every eight seconds. This year alone there have been more than 59,000 victims in Britain. It currently costs the UK economy £1.3b per year.

In 2007 criminals ran up close to £35,000 in Froch’s name, causing the boxer months of stress. But as he prepares for this weekend’s showdown with unbeaten American – Andre Dirrell, Froch revealed that he has taken steps to protect his ID and is confident that he will never fall victim to the crime again.

He said: “In 2007 criminals took out credit cards and store cards in my name to the tune of nearly £35,000. I didn’t see it coming and only found out when a new mortgage application was refused. It took months to get things straightened up, involving hours spent with the police, the credit issuers, citizen’s advice and all three credit reference agencies. I couldn’t believe how complicated things got.”

“I have now chosen FraudLock to look after my identity. In my opinion FraudLock offer the best protection available in the UK.”

FraudLock claims to be the UK’s most comprehensive and pro-active service to protect individuals against identity theft.

The entirely independent service utilises 12 key features including private investigators, black market monitoring, lost or stolen card recovery service and free online credit reports and credit monitoring.

It also offers pro-active protection, online security software and advice, free credit rating and analysis, reduced junk mail and credit offers, a statement reminder service which spots undelivered statements and an advice line.

FraudLock CEO Charlie Scott said his service was the most comprehensive and proactive way to protect against identity theft and was totally guaranteed to be effective.

He said: “We’re all aware that identity theft is a growing problem which features regularly on news bulletins. But until now most of us didn’t really know how to protect ourselves against the threat of having our identities stolen.

“FraudLock offers a total solution to the problem. Our members are fully guaranteed against having their identities stolen. We utilise every technique and technology available to ensure our members are safe against this growing threat.”

“I am delighted that Carl Froch has chosen to trust us with the safeguarding of his identity. Like thousands of others in the UK Carl has first hand experience of just how difficult having your identity stolen can be.”

“Identity thieves can run up thousands of pounds worth of debt in your name and can make it extremely difficult for their victims to gain credit in the future. It really is a huge problem. FraudLock solves that problem by making sure our member’s identities are safeguarded against theft.”

The service is currently available with a voucher code at a special introductory rate of just £6.99 per month. To find out more about FraudLock and Identity Fraud Protection please visit http://www.FraudLock.co.uk or call 0800 025 8003.

For PR enquiries please contact Kate Davis at kate.davis (at) fraudlock (dot) co (dot) uk

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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Dealerspan Introduces the First Red Flag Identity Theft Solution to Help Dealerships Comply with the November 1st FTC Deadline

Billings, Montana (PRWEB) July 17, 2008

FTC’s Red Flags Rule requires every U.S. auto dealer to develop, implement, and maintain a written, comprehensive identity (ID) theft prevention program that specifically outlines the dealership’s plan to detect, prevent and mitigate identity theft. This Red Flag regulation applies to every auto dealer – regardless of size – and must be in place by November 1, 2008. Dealerspan’s “Red Flag Complete” is the first and only on-site full compliance package specifically designed to address the needs of auto dealers.

Unlike other “ID theft” solutions, Dealerspan’s “Red Flag Complete” was created by a team of professionals with over 30 years of dealership experience. Matt Hall, Director of Sales & Marketing, is spearheading the effort to “simplify what dealerships do, through technology.” He notes this software comes from the unique perspective obtained by sitting in every chair in the dealership.    And it is addressing some of the toughest aspects of compliance:

Automating training of F&I staff
Improving dealership knowledge base with informative data to assist the staff in detecting Red Flags in their dealership.
Automating the process of developing the required Identity Theft Prevention Program.

The goal is to prevent identity theft from occurring, as well as protect the dealership’s bottom-line. For example:

Identity theft claims go up, meaning Property and Causality insurance costs go up
If several claims are logged, dealerships run the risk of losing their insurance.

The actual identity thief is way ahead of the November deadline, as Steve Zabawa, owner of Rimrock Auto Group in Billings, Montana can attest. He paid $ 80,000 in ID theft claims; “pay now or pay later,” Zabawa simply stated. Now equipped with “Red Flag Complete” Zabawa said this about the program “If I would have had this program in place this costly identity theft would have been avoided. This application helps my dealership be proactive when dealing with sensitive data.” He added, “By preventing just one incident, you will save thousands and thousands of dollars.” Zabawa recommends posting that your dealership is Red Flag compliant to deter employees and provide consumers the confidence that they have chosen the right dealership. He compares “Red Flag Complete” to an anti-virus program, noting it’s a best practice for protecting your business.

Customers have come to see it as a value-added service. Matt also notes, “Our greatest fear as consumers is for someone to get our personal information. It’s essential for dealers to have business systems, protocols, and procedures in place – like doing business online with a trusted name like Dealerspan.” He noted that it is common practice to have your lot secured every night to deter vehicle theft; why not take the same diligence in knowing your customer and deterring identity theft?

Red Flag Complete is a full compliance package, including risk assessment and analysis, policy generation and acceptance, incident tracking, employee video training and testing, and more. The Red Flag Complete plan gets businesses up to speed with federal regulations and assists in providing a safe level of operation when dealing with customer information. Implementation of the product, including training of staff, takes three to six weeks. Red Flag Complete was developed with the assistance of Hudson Cook, LLP, so Dealerspan has benefited from the expertise of Michael Benoit, a nationally recognized speaker and author of compliance issues for financial institutions and the automotive world.

About Dealerspan LLC.:

Dealerspan is an innovative and advanced technology company with numerous solutions to drive sales and gross profit for auto dealerships. Serving as a provider of an expansive array of financial, online, and core applications that affect many areas of auto dealerships, Dealerspan focuses on the retail market. Our motto is software solutions designed for dealers by dealers. The technology consists of cutting edge interactive video, scalable frameworks, and an advanced accountability process. Dealerspan’s mission is to simplify the processes involved in running dealerships, resulting in technology solutions that shift gross profits into overdrive.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Britain, America Unite Against Identity Theft Trends

The 2011 Identity Fraud Forum hosted by Experian at The Grove, England.

London, UK (PRWEB) October 16, 2011

The world of identity theft is changing rapidly. Earlier this week Experian UK, a unit of one of the world’s largest credit-reporting agencies, hosted the 2011 Identity Theft & Fraud Forum at The Grove, a prestigious five-star resort located on the outskirts of London. The purpose of the Forum was to assemble a cross-cultural collection of thought leaders on identity theft prevention and to focus attention on Britain’s increasing financial battle with identity theft. Keynote presenters included highly regarded American identity theft expert John Sileo, Jairam Sridharan, Head of Retail Assets, Axis Bank of India and Jonathan Walsh, Head of Consulting and Analytics, Identity & Fraud at Experian.

During his afternoon presentation, Mr. Walsh revealed the results of a newly released study commissioned by Experian UK. The study found that cases of identity fraud have doubled in Britain over just the past six months and that the trend is likely to continue unless addressed.

“Britain is determined to identify the latest trends in identity theft and define leading-edge solutions to avert the costly eight ball we are behind here in the States,” says Sileo, who founded ThinkLikeASpy.com and has worked with organizations from the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security to Pfizer, Blue Cross and the FDIC. “Experian UK helped all of us take a huge step in the right direction with the Forum.”

During his closing keynote presentation, Sileo, himself a two-time victim of severe identity theft, shared not only his eye opening personal story, but what he considers to be the latest trends in the booming world of identity fraud.

“Right now, the business of financial fraud is being overtaken by organized crime,” says Sileo. “They’re intent on rolling up a highly profitable business that used to be the turf of petty criminals, drug addicts and the terminally underemployed. Of course, those people are still at the center of the crimes, they just have a nasty new boss.” He adds, with obvious frustration, “And their bosses aren’t just criminals, they’re highly effective businesspeople.”

According to Sileo, social media over exposure, mobile device hacking and offshore data hijacking are three trends to take very seriously. “It’s all about scale,” he explains. “Why steal one identity at a time on Facebook when you can socially engineer a queen bee [using her Facebook profile, he adds later] into giving you the keys to the corporate database.”

When he refers to queen bees, he’s referring to corporate employees with vast access to data but little training on how to protect it. Prompted for examples, he listed financial controllers, bookkeepers, laid-off IT staff, secretaries, executive assistants and employees who haven’t been properly trained to recognize and repel fraud.

The outlook at the Forum wasn’t entirely negative. By the end of the conference, there was a general consensus that the disease of identity theft, still somewhat immature in this country, can be eradicated like previous plagues in Britain’s history with intensive educational initiatives and fraud detection analytics.

Experian is a global leader in consumer and business credit reporting and marketing services and a constituent of the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 index, with revenues in excess of US$ 4 billion.

John Sileo is a leading American keynote speaker and author on identity theft, fraud, social networking exposure, social engineering and trust; he is the founder of ThinkLikeASpy.com and blogs at Sileo.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.



Identity Theft: the Common Man You May Come Across Round the Corner

(PRWEB) July 7, 2005

It is a common face and even more a household name in the US today. Consumers pray not to meet him, but if you are unfortunate you might have to come across him while you take a bend at the street end. Yes, we are speaking of Identity Theft. This usually takes place when someone has unauthorized access to your personal data and utilizes the same to make an application for credit cards, use your bank account without your knowledge as well as receives a loan in your name. Just like it is weird to have a cake without an icing, summer months minus adventure sports or a dinner date without a drink, so is applicable to scams or identity thefts in the credit lending industry.

Identity Theft is the most rapidly growing crime in the modern world. USA is a major victim of this crime and had faced major hassles pertaining to this illegal business. Incidence of Identity Theft in the U.S. has somersaulted to more than 40% in 2003 compared to the year 2002. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) almost 4.7% of the U.S. population or 10 million people were victims of identity theft in the year 2002 with total losses of US$ 53 billion. Almost US$ 5 billion were losses suffered by victims; whereas the remaining losses were made up by businesses.

It is high time you get education on the preventive measures and equip yourself with information on what to do if you are a victim of Identity Theft. For ID Theft assistance, you can visit the ID Theft Help Center at:

http://www.idtheftcenter.com/index.shtml

According to the recent happenings in the month of April 2005, detectives with the Ontario Police Department had arrested Jeffrey Brett Goodin, 45, of Azusa, and from Covina Mila Stroschien, 51, and Christina Beeson, 24, for unlawful use of credit information and identity theft. This was reported by Ontario police Detective David McBride. The three were arrested on suspicion of creating an identity theft scam that may involve victims in California, Virginia and Georgia.

In the month of January, 2005 “American Idol” Ruben Studdard filed a formal complaint accusing Ronald Edwards of identity theft and fraud practices. According to The Associated Press, he filed a complaint with Birmingham, Alabama, police, claiming that Edwards forged paperwork between August 2003 and November 2004, granting himself power-of-attorney privileges. In addition, Studdard alleges that Edwards used his credit cards, racking up a $ 105,000 bill. However, Edwards, once Ruben’s godfather, denies the allegations.

In a very recent incident, Allen Rupock Boidya, 28, a citizen of Bangladesh staying in a room in San Bernardino, was arrested in Cathedral City at a Comfort Suites hotel on June 24, 2005 for possession of stolen property, according to Redlands Police Department Public Information Officer Carl Baker. The arrest of this Bangladeshi man in June 2005 has helped Redlands police connect a series of people involved in a crime ring involving identity theft, commercial window burglaries and stolen credit cards.

Another happening a fortnight ago states the misplacement of a box of computer tapes containing personal information on 3.9 million customers of Citi Financial by United Parcel Service during its transit to a credit bureau. The tapes contained highly confidential information like names, social security numbers, account numbers and payment histories of customers who acquired loan products through one of CitiFinancialÂ’s network of more than 1,800 branches, or retailers in the United States. However, as a precautionary step CitiFinancial said the information they provide to credit bureaus will be sent via direct encrypted electronic transmission from the month of July, 2005.

The fear of Identity Theft is a major concern for the officials in the US today. The credit reporting company Equifax has earned a major profit for this cause but there is also a prevailing concern for them. Thomas Chapman the Chairman and CEO of Equifax said that the fear of protecting ones data security can eventually result in the consumers spending less. He said this while addressing about 50 people at the Commonwealth Club of California, a public affairs forum.

According to the Identity Theft Survey Report presented by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently, a detailed study has been done of how the current accounts are misused.

•Credit Card accounts – 67%

•Telephone Service -19%

•Check/Savings Account – 9%

•Internet Account – 3%

•Other Accounts – 2%

Other stolen information that leads to Identity Theft are:

•Employment – getting a job using the victims name and identity

•Social Security

•Tax Returns

•Medical

•Residential Leases

•Securities & Investments

•Bankruptcy Fraud

•Illegal Immigration and Obtaining Miscellaneous government Identification Documents

Today protecting the publicÂ’s personal information has become the prime factor among Web shoppers, e-commerce merchants and law enforcement agencies. The epidemic seems to get costlier every passing day in the US. Latest reports say that identity thieves are rarely prosecuted, yet they cost the country $ 60 billion annually.

To know more on Identity Theft please view the in-depth conversation at our forum:

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/about409.html


http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/about411.html


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http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/about410.html

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.