IDW Newsroom

ID Watchdog announces official data partnership with Acxiom

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:02:00 +0000

ID Watchdog and Acxiom Corporation have entered into an 5-year agreement, giving ID Watchdog exclusive rights to distribute data from Acxiom's extensive database collection. As a global leader in data aggregation, Acxiom will allow ID Watchdog to provide their customers with unparalleled data monitoring and investigation services.

“Acxiom’s reputation in the data world is second to none, and we are excited to help them leverage their core databases within the business-to-consumer market,” said Justin Yurek, ID Watchdog’s president. “This expansion of data will substantially improve the ID Watchdog experience for our existing and potential customers, as our product is continually evolving to provide the best identity theft protection available.”

For more information on this partnership, please read the official press release.

ID Watchdog partners with Slam the Online Scam to fight cyber-crime

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:30:00 +0000

ID Watchdog recognizes the growing threat of cyber-crime, which has been gaining media attention since President Obama’s recent call to action. In addition to our arsenal of products to protect, detect and resolve identity theft on our customers’ behalves, we are also contributing to consumer advocacy programs.

ID Watchdog has recently partnered with one such program, Slam the Online Scam, an online initiative that seeks to inform and protect consumers from this growing epidemic.

According to their website, “Slam the Online Scam is a national public-education campaign which combats cyber attacks by empowering computer users with tools, tips and techniques to be self-secure. The campaign’s website includes advice on how to recognize and avoid online scams. It also notifies users of the latest online threats and is packed with recent articles and online safety reports.”

Please see their web site for helpful resources and important tips

ID Watchdog Ranked Number 1 by 5IdentityTheftProtection.com

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:30:00 +0000

5IdentityTheftProtection.com, a trusted source for product reviews by an independent panel of consumer advocates, has recently named ID Watchdog as the best Identity Theft Protection service. 5IdentityTheftProtection.com chooses the top five services by comparing a variety of different factors, including security, reputation, recovery and customer service.

ID Watchdog was chosen as the highest-ranking service due to an outstanding combination of all of the aforementioned factors. The review notes our recent commendation from the Consumer Federation of America, as well as an excellent track record of customer service.

"With ID Watchdog's 100% guarantee," they note. "You can be sure you are receiving the best treatment possible."

For the full story, please click here.

Identity theft protection as an employee benefit

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Many employers provide their staff with an employee benefit package, usually made up of a standard mix of health, dental and life insurance. Occasionally, employers will offer additional benefits such as personal counseling and health club benefits as added incentives for employees to take care of themselves.

However, as identity theft continues to be a growing concern, many employers are acknowledging another important facet of their employees' lives outside the office: The safety of their personal identities. With over 10 million identity theft victims in America in 2008 alone, employers are recognizing the need to keep their employees safe from this crime epidemic.

In recent years, large-scale data breaches have led to a disturbingly frequent trend in workplace identity theft. With data being stored on insecure laptops and individual employees having access to large amounts of staff data, there are multiple outlets through which these identifying details could be breached.

Many companies are looking to ID Watchdog to provide comprehensive monitoring, detection and resolution services to their employees. Just recently, in fact, ID Watchdog gained media attention by partnering with Arlington School District, of Texas, to begin providing identity theft protection services to AISD's 8,000 employees and their families. AISD leadership knows that giving their valued employees one less thing to worry about helps not only the individuals, but also the district and students that they serve.

Read the full press release here.

ID Watchdog Partners with Acxiom

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Recently, ID Watchdog has been making headlines for a ground-breaking supplier partnership deal signed with Acxiom Corporation. Acxiom is a recognized global leader in interactive marketing services, risk management, fraud protection, and consumer privacy.

This partnership advances ID Watchdog's superiority over the competitors in the Identity Theft Protection space by providing additional data outlets through which ID Watchdog can protect customers' private data. ID Watchdog has already begun utilizing this new partnership with Acxiom to expand on its already-comprehensive services, and will continue to seek out new ways of protecting customers' valuable information as the year progresses and this partnership evolves.

For more information, please see the official press release, here.

IDW President Warns Consumers of Cyber Crime

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:01:00 +0000

ID Watchdog President Justin Yurek once again lent his expertise with regards to the increasing epidemic of identity theft. In an article written by the International Society of Automation (ISA), a non-profit organization devoted to solving technical problems, Yurek sheds some light on the growing trend of Internet fraud.

Although the ISA reports that the number of victims reached a record high last year, with over 275,000 complaints, Yurek notes that the damage may be even far worse.

According to Yurek, "The vast majority of ID theft goes unreported, so the actual threat is probably much more common than even these huge figures would lead us to believe."

Yurek credits the massive upswing to the current Recession, and warns consumers to be careful in all dealings online.

For the full article, click here.

ID Watchdog Featured by Identity Theft Labs

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Identitytheftlabs.com, a site run by a group of professionals dedicated to informing consumers about Identity Theft protection, recently featured ID Watchdog as a leading supplier of superior services. The site's home page features a comparison of similar services, showing how our comprehensive services stack up against our competitors, and giving us an overall rating of "excellent," based on these findings.

The site provides a review of ID Watchdog's services, pointing out that, "ID Watchdog is the only service that can detect identity theft from all points of vulnerability." The review highlights our leg up over competitors, who focus solely on credit records and placing fraud alerts on customers' accounts. As the review indicates, ID Watchdog "differentiates itself" by scanning thousands of databases including DMV records, medical records, utility bills, credit bureaus, government databases, PayDay loans, and much more. The review also points to ID Watchdog's one-of-a-kind resolution guarantee. As the review notes, "They are one of the few companies that actually do the hard work with minimal involvement on your part. Most others have you do the majority of the work as they only provide assistance and advice."

Identitytheftlabs.com also highlights their decision to feature ID Watchdog by endorsing the service on their identity theft prevention blog. According to today's post, titled "ID Watchdog, Our new Identity Theft Protection Service," three things stood out to the experts at Identity Theft Labs: Our comprehensive monitoring service, our 100% resolution guarantee, and the excellent customer service we provide in resolving any issue that happens on our watch.

Report: Consumer Federation of America “Impressed” with ID Watchdog

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:27:00 +0000

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), a respected consumer advocacy organization, released a report today examining services provided to consumers that promise to protect against identity theft. This comprehensive report was a first of its kind, and revealed research gathered from 16 different identity theft protection services to determine the state of the industry.

The CFA report indicates areas in which the industry’s service providers could improve, and breaks down the different companies by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. ID Watchdog was singled out as one of the most customer-friendly and comprehensive services, and was praised for their 100% resolution guarantee.

The report states: "We were most impressed by ID Watchdog and…they make clear that their main emphasis is on resolving consumers’ problems if they are victims. They don’t offer insurance, which is of little value, and they also offer help for pre-existing identity theft problems under certain circumstances."

ID Watchdog President Justin Yurek said, "ID Watchdog welcomes the CFA’s landmark report on Identity Theft services companies, and expects it to guide the sector's evolution from this point forward. This is important, groundbreaking research that is an essential read for consumers and for the industry it covers. With this well-researched report, the CFA has done a tremendous service to consumers, regulators and ID theft service companies. Its analysis of some of this young industry’s troubling shortcomings is spot on. We particularly welcome its call for industry best practices and closer oversight by the FTC and State AGs. The CFA report itself represents an important step in that direction because this report identifies the elements of what the best practices should be.”

For the full report, click http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/ID_THEFT_REPORT.pdf

To learn more about the Consumer Federation of America please visit: http://www.consumerfed.org/

President of ID Watchdog in Information Week

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Recently, Information Today shed some light on a disturbing facet of the identity theft epidemic with the help of some industry experts, including ID Watchdog’s President, Justin Yurek. The article focuses on the vulnerability of deceased individuals when it comes to identity theft. When a relative passes away, the last thing his or her survivors expect is to be victimized through their loss. Unfortunately, this is becoming an all-too-often occurrence.

Criminals are utilizing new technologies, such as online obituaries and free e-mail accounts, to gain enough information to steal the identities of consumers who have recently passed away. With this information, thieves will open credit card accounts, establish unlawful citizenship, collect on insurance and commit much more damage to this helpless victim’s good name.

Yurek and the other experts quoted in the article outline several helpful steps for consumers to take to protect their loved ones from this harmful fraud. For instance, it is important to provide a death certificate to all applicable entities, including the Social Security Administration and the three big credit monitoring agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Also, as Yurek points out, it is a good idea to make sure that your loved one has been removed from any junk mail lists so that his or her information is not as easily available to thieves.

Identity theft is a growing concern for all consumers, and it is important to remember to keep all of your loved ones safe.

For the full article, click here.

ID Watchdog Guides the Colorado Bankers Association

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:20:00 +0000

ID Watchdog recently contributed to an article in the Colorado Bankers Association’s bi-monthly newsletter, Colorado Banker. In this article, ID Watchdog sheds some light on the various types of identity theft, including much more than financial theft. As the article points out, it is important for identity theft protection services to utilize database monitoring to make sure all facets of their consumers are protected. This can include DMV records, utilities, medical reports, criminal records, and anything else with which a person’s social security number can be connected.

ID Watchdog monitors thousands of databases containing our customers’ personal information, checking against an approved baseline report in order to detect any changes that may indicate an identity theft attempt. Knowing that only 20% of identity theft has anything to do with credit, ID Watchdog is committed to keeping all of their customers’ identities safe.

Read the full story here. (Page 8)

FTC Report: ID Theft Top Consumer Complaint in 2008

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:56:00 +0000

In a report released by the FTC today, identity theft is reported as the top consumer complaint for 2008 -- by a landslide. At 313,982 complaints, identity theft was reported over three times as much as the second-highest reported problem (third-party and creditor debt collection) and pulled in 26% of all consumer complaints. This is the ninth year in a row that identity theft has occupied the top spot in this study, which the FTC conducts bases on the complaints of more than 125 organizations. Within the identity theft complaints, credit card fraud was the highest reported method, at 20% of all identity thefts. Other top methods included government documents and benefits fraud (15%), employment fraud (15%), phone or utilities fraud (13%), bank fraud (11%), and loan fraud (4%). As these numbers indicate, identity theft is far more than just credit card fraud. It is more important than ever to have 100% protection of your personal information.

Read the full story here

ID Watchdog President Contributes on Sirius Radio

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Justin Yurek, President of ID Watchdog, will be quoted today on Sirius Radio, in a one-minute tech feature by Dave Graveline. The feature, an installment of Graveline's "Into Tomorrow," will air on the major news networks, including Fox News, CNN, CNN Headline News, Weather Channel, CNBC, ABC News & Talk, ESPN, ESPN News, Fox Sports, Sporting News, Discovery, E!, and more. Yurek provides insight on the growing crime of identity theft, particularly the increase with relation to the current financial crisis. According to Yurek, the identity theft epidemic has worsened since the stock market began taking its hardest hits last fall, and has recently intensified as criminals become more technologically savvy and creative. Yurek gives some advice on how consumers can prevent identity theft, including vigilant protection of personal computer data, enlisting professional help to monitor credit, taking care in online shopping, and maintaining a skeptical defensive approach to online and phone solicitations.

Radio Interview on Privacy Piracy

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Next Wednesday, February 18, Madison Ayer and Evan Hendricks will be featured on identity theft expert Mari Frank’s radio talk show, Privacy Piracy. Ayer is the Vice President of Strategy and Policy at ID Watchdog, and helps to define the standards of the identity theft protection industry. Hendricks, author and editor of Privacy Times, serves on the ID Watchdog Board of Advisors and has over 20 years of experience in consumer advocacy and privacy.

This informative and engaging interview will cover all facets of identity theft and privacy in the information age. Ayer and Hendricks cover the different databases that can be used to gather consumers’ personal information, which reach far beyond credit theft. As they explain, the impact can be different and more dangerous when thieves steal more than just your credit information.

Additionally, Ayer and Hendricks expand on new trends in identity theft. For instance, identity thieves have become increasingly skilled at eluding the suspicions of their victims. Many thieves are using personal identity information for activities that may not show up in the victim’s credit report, but are highly damaging, nonetheless. The longer the thieves can elude suspicions, the longer they are able to engage in illegal activities using the victim’s identity. For this reason, it is important for consumers to protect themselves by monitoring more than just credit reports, such as medical and criminal history as well.

Be sure to tune in on February 18 for the full interview, and to learn more about how to protect yourself from identity theft. The interview will be broadcast worldwide, as well as available via podcast, at www.kuci.org.

For more information, see: www.kuci.org/privacypiracy

6 ways to protect your identity in a data breach

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:54:00 +0000

The growing problem of identity theft was recently highlighted in an article on CreditCards.com. The article cites studies from the past year that illustrate this growing problem, including some frightening statistics. According to a study conducted by the Poneman Institute, an independent research group out of Michigan, 55% of study participants suffered at least two breaches in their personal information in the past two years alone. Also, Javelin Study and Research reported that the number of identity theft victims rose in 2008 by 25%, to a startling 9.9 million people affected; this is equal to one person every four seconds. The article also points to one disturbing recent case, in which the information of tens of thousands of credit card customers was compromised due to a security breach. Heartland Payment Systems, a financial transactions company that processes payments for 250,000 customers, announced the breach last month, which may result in the most extensive identity theft case to date.

So, with all the potential to have their information stolen, how are consumers supposed to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft?

CreditCards.com turned to a variety of expert sources, including ID Watchdog president Jason Yurek, to come up with a list of six tips that individuals can use to protect their identity.

1. Be aware – Be on the lookout for any suspicious communication from credit cards or collections agencies with whom you are not affiliated.

2.Act fast – "Oftentimes thieves will use your credit card data to commit non-financial identity theft crimes which become much larger problems," says Yurek. Be sure to get on top of the problem before the thieves can cause too much damage.

3.Prevention defense – Keep all of your personal account information secret, carefully scrutinize your credit card statements for transactions not made by you, and sign up to receive alerts for potentially fraudulent activity.

4.Check URLs – "With phishing schemes becoming increasingly sophisticated, it is important to ensure that you are doing business with the person you think you are and not an imposter," says Yurek. Always verify that the URL is correct before entering any of your private data.

5.Play it close to the vest – Be careful with your sensitive information. Do not carry your passport or social security card, and only give out your social security number if absolutely necessary.

6.Contact the authorities – Do not delay in getting help if you suspect you’ve been a victim of identity theft. Besides the local police, contact the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint.

For the full article, click here: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/six-ways-to-protect-ID-in-a-data-breach-1282.php

Information From an Expert on Identity Theft Protection

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Say the words “identity theft” and you’re likely to illicit a story from the person next to you.

“My brother-in-law had somebody racking up credit card debt for him in Florida.” “Last year, someone stole our (full) garbage cans.”
But when you say the words “identity security,” or “identity theft protection,” people aren’t as forthcoming with stories, information, and ideas. They might say: “of yeah, my bank does that.” But most of the time, they can’t tell you what “that” is.

Take a few minutes to listen to an expert discuss how identity thieves operate, and how (specifically) they can be found, and stopped.
Justin Yurek, President of ID Watchdog, the most comprehensive identity theft protection service, discusses some of the methods that identity thieves use to steal information, and how they use it to gain access to medical care, bank accounts, work in the United States (if they aren’t legally permitted to work here), and more.

But it’s not all bad news. Knowing how identity thieves work is just the first part of figuring out how to protect yourself from them. Yurek also explains how his service, ID Watchdog monitors thousands of data sources (not just credit reports), and makes it easy for consumers to see any signs of identity tampering. After finding a problem, Yurek says, it’s good to have people on your side who know how to fix it. That’s part of his company’s service as well.

Take a listen. You may learn something helpful that you can pass on next time the guy next to you says: “I got pulled over for speeding, and they told me that I was already in jail…”

http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3402183

Identity Theft Plagues Consumers and Businesses Alike

noreply@blogger.com (ID Watchdog) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:44:00 +0000

California Executive

January 13, 2009

Becky Harmon received an unexpected phone call from a mortgage company several years ago. The agent asked for her name and Social Security number before warning her that her house would soon be in foreclosure. Harmon thought it was a clerical error, knowing she was in good standing with her lenders, but the agent gave a different address than the one where she and her husband lived.

The couple checked their credit score and was stunned to see the number 520, with the words “poor credit” flashing on the screen, especially since they had just closed on their real home with a respectable score of 730. They would quickly learn that they were the victims of an elaborate identity theft scam.

“Someone had bought a $450,000 house in my name and then took out a second mortgage in my name and cashed it out for about $200,000. I can’t tell you the shock value,” says Harmon, now a life coach in Atlanta, whose perpetrator eventually took out a third mortgage and pushed the tab to nearly $1 million.

She restored her good name after six long months, but no one has yet been arrested for the crime.

The Federal Trade Commission says identity theft is the fastest growing crime category in the United States. Not only does it devastate individuals, but also businesses whose tax I.D.’s are stolen, who suffer a breach of customer data, or whose employees spend more time restoring their damaged credit than actually working.

The FTC received more than 258,427 consumer identity theft complaints in 2007 (business statistics are not reported separately), the largest category of all reported fraud cases, according to the agency’s most recent anecdotal data. Most I.D. theft involved credit cards during that period, but substantial instances of utilities, loan, bank, government document and employment identity fraud also were reported to the FTC. Identity theft is now worth more than the illicit drug trade, according to statistics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Certified identity theft risk management specialist Joseph Campana works with small businesses to help prevent this type of crime, but he says it’s not even on the radar of many executives.

“Unfortunately, some businesses just don’t care. In fact I’ve had many businesses tell me that they’ll worry about it if it happens to them,” says Campana, based in Madison, Wisconsin.

I.D. Theft: How It Happens & How It Hurts

All it takes is a valid S.S. number, date of birth and a name for someone to steal an identity. But most victims don’t know it until after the identity has been used to obtain credit cards, post bail after an arrest, pay for medical procedures, secure a loan or apply for a job under someone else’s name. Sensitive information can be obtained in a number of ways, including Internet fraud, security breaches at businesses, telephone fraud and even dumpster diving.

Consumers usually find out about a theft either by surprises on their credit report or through the unexpected denial of credit, but only 30% of identity thefts are funneled through one’s credit report, according to one expert.

“If I was an illegal immigrant and used your S.S. number for a job application, that wouldn’t show up in your credit report. If I rent a house, get a cell phone or go to the hospital in your name, it doesn’t get reported in your credit report,” explains Justin Yurek, president of Denver-based identity-protection company ID Watchdog Inc.

The damage from identity theft goes way beyond financial loss, though. For example, if someone uses your identity to avert law enforcement, it could tarnish your criminal record. If your identity is used to charge your insurance carrier for cancer treatment, and you have no such condition, it could affect your ability to maintain coverage.

But the time and frustration involved with contacting law enforcement officials, creditors and other institutions – and convincing them your identity has been stolen – takes an additional toll on already stressed-out individuals. Harmon says she spent five to six hours per day with the police, the credit reporting agencies and lenders for the first month after discovering her identity was stolen. The anger and frustration, she says, was nearly crippling.

“You instantly feel victimized. You are on your own,” says Harmon, explaining that creditors did not believe her at first, “Mainly because there are so many unscrupulous people trying to get out of making payments.”

Not Just a Consumer Concern

Identity theft is most often considered a consumer problem, and yet businesses themselves can suffer similar damage with the theft of a tax I.D. number, a fake Web site or fake letterhead. A thief impersonating a business might send out fake invoices to other businesses (using a controlled post office box) or letters to customers asking for sensitive data in the name of the legitimate business, author and identity theft expert John Lenardon explains.

“If I can pretend to be a company or send out 1,000 letters, all I need is a 2-3% return to get some good income coming in,” says Lenardon, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the author of “Identity Theft Toolkit.”

Lenardon says the biggest problem for businesses, however, is internal staff. While some unscrupulous employees might steal data outright, he says, others are coerced or threatened – or even tricked – into giving up sensitive information.

Another concern is the theft of employees’ own identifications, prompting some businesses to offer identity theft coverage as a benefit. Considering the more than 100 hours Harmon (at the time a salesperson with a flexible schedule) spent on the phone just in the first month, some executives see this as a way to keep employees focused on their jobs. It takes between 200 and 600 hours to restore one’s identity after an I.D. theft, according to the FTC.

Observers say small business owners are particularly vulnerable to I.D. theft, though, since they often use personal assets and their own name for business transactions.
The damage can be severe, as Campana explains: A farmer who wanted to buy a crop duster was turned down for a loan because his I.D. was used for heart surgery. In another case, a small business owner’s I.D. was stolen by a prostitute, affecting the legitimate entrepreneur’s ability to gain new customers.

Duty to Protect Customer Data

Businesses in California are required by law to notify their customers in the event of data breach – failure to comply, and failure to make a good faith effort to protect customer data, can lead to serious liability. A lawsuit over a data breach can cost roughly $25,000 in legal fees before it even makes it to court or a settlement, Campana says.

Steve Bearak, CEO of identity protection company Identity Force, says merchant protection is the fastest-growing segment of his business. Although there is no way to guarantee protection from a data breach, sound regulatory compliance can at least protect a business from most liability.

“There is a simple risk-analysis, there is a policy that addresses that and there is employee training,” says Bearak, based in Framingham, Mass. “Once you put those three things together, you’ve mitigated your risk or at least created some sort of shield against potential legal damages.”

The second part of this series lists ways individuals and businesses can protect themselves against identity theft. And since experts say there is no fool-proof way to guard against I.D. theft 100%, knowing what to do once the crime occurs is just as important.