IDENTITY GUARD® Sponsors 2010 National Protect Your Identity Week
IDENTITY GUARD® Joins Forces with the Better Business Bureau and the National Foundation of Credit Counseling to Help Educate Consumers on the Threats and Prevention of Identity Theft
CHANTILLY, Va., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX), a leading provider of consumer and corporate identity risk management services and provider of IDENTITY GUARD®, its award winning identity theft service, has taken a stand in the fight against identity theft by announcing its National Presenting Sponsorship of the Third Annual National Protect Your Identity Week.
As a sponsor, Intersections' IDENTITY GUARD® is committed to providing preventative educational consumer information to the Protect Your ID Now.org website through video, articles and consumer tips, aimed to empower consumers in the fight against identity theft.
"We are proud to support such an important cause and to take an active role in educating consumers about the fastest growing crime in America," said Joe Mason, Senior Vice President of Consumer Services at Intersections Inc. "Initiatives like this one are vital in the fight against identity theft, and Intersections is committed to providing consumers with the knowledge they need to avoid becoming victims of this pernicious crime."
National Protect Your Identity Week, sponsored by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Council of Better Business Bureaus, aims to educate the public on the risk and prevention of identity theft.
"Having Intersections' participation in this important campaign will only help to grow the program and reach more consumers. We're thrilled to have them join forces with us to help people across the country fight identity theft whether it lurks online or offline," said Stephen A. Cox, President and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
"Intersections understands the important role that education plays in the fight against identity theft crimes. We are pleased to have them sponsor this event and to share their expert advice with consumers," said Bob Ensinger, Chief Operating Officer at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
Intersections' IDENTITY GUARD® offers the following preventative consumer tips:
- Protect your computer by installing up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware protection; use a firewall when you browse the Internet; and encrypt and safeguard portable devices and documents.
- Protect your personal information from fraudsters by opting for electronic delivery of your financial statements and other bills and shredding paper documents with personal information before disposing them. If you have important files—tax documents, medical records, bank account information—store them on a removable disc or external hard drive.
- Avoid fraudulent websites and only use legitimate sources to contact financial institutions, such as an official website or the telephone number listed on statements and on the back of bank or credit cards. For software that safely identifies official websites, visit http://www.identityguard.com/
- Don't Click on that Link! Be wary of emails, phone calls, or text messages that may look as though they come from a legitimate company like your bank or the IRS, asking you to click on a link to update your personal information. This is called phishing, a technique used by identity thieves to steal your personal information.
- Protect your information on social networking sites and restrict who can access your pages using built-in privacy settings. It's important to reveal as little as possible about yourself online, and always avoid revealing the type of information an identity thief wants such as family names, pet names, travel plans, your home address, school, employers, etc.
About Intersections Inc.
Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX) is a leading provider of consumer and corporate identity risk management services. Eight million consumers are actively protected by Intersections' consumer and breach remediation services offered through North America's leading financial institutions, directly to consumers under its award-winning IDENTITY GUARD® brand (www.identityguard.com), and through its exclusive partnership with ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center. Since its inception in 1996, Intersections has protected more than 30 million consumers.
For advice, opinions, and the latest news on identity theft for consumers, visit http://www.IDGuardian.com. Twitter handle: IDGuardian.
SOURCE Intersections Inc.
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