One out of seven cases of identity theft in 2010 was committed by someone close to the victim — a relative, roommate, co-worker or some other acquaintance. And, the trend of family members who take advantage of their relative’s clean credit to carry out criminal activities is on the rise. Friendly fraud now accounts for 14% of all identity theft instances.
The cases of identity theft continue to rise because there are so many ways in which your identity can be stolen.
It has never been easier to become a victim of a data breech, scam, identity theft or other security problem. We get that it can be overwhelming for most consumers.
That’s why we are working with several companies in the online security space to provide new ways to combat the overarching problem of personal security. We believe that by adding new services and features to existing security software products – for free – and delivering an added line of defense beyond just the desktop will help you play a more active role in preserving your online identity.
Today we announced the latest product launch with Internet security leader, Avira. Our free credit monitoring and alert services, as well as the ID Watchdog identity monitoring and preservation tools are being distributed as a service through the Avira SearchFree Toolbar.
Now, in addition to protection against malicious websites, Avira customers in the US will be able to monitor changes in records through ongoing, free credit alerts. ID Watchdog and Avira also are allowing customers to extend the free service by purchasing additional monitoring services which identify changes in public and private records, including Social Security records, medical collections, driving records, national security watch lists, and criminal records and take specific action to resolve any issues.
We continue to be dedicated to combat the overarching problem of personal security and helping consumers play a more active role in preserving their identities and we are doing that by collaborating with other industry leaders to make it happen.
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ID Watchdog and our newest partner, BitDefender, are releasing a bundled personal id theft prevention product today.
Whether it is at your bank or in your university records — your most personal data is floating around out there. Recent incidents from hacks targeted at mega-corporations to NATO show that data breaches and identity theft are on the rise and here to stay, which is why ID Watchdog and BitDefender are collaborating to provide consumers with easy-to-use, free tools and services as a solution.
This identity protection software, available through the BitDefender Internet Security 2012, provides users with a free resource to monitor their credit reports and receive alerts should discrepancies arise. This tool is the first line of defense against identity theft, since changes to a credit report are often the first signs of identity theft or to potentially damaging changes to a credit score.
Although you can’t prevent identity theft, you can find it and fix it fast. This added layer of protection from ID Watchdog and BitDefender is just what every consumer needs to protect their personal data beyond the PC.
Stay informed on the latest data breaches and threats to your personal data. Follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook.
CreditAlert – the one-stop option from AVAST and ID Watchdog that provides additional ways to protect private data beyond just the PC – is here!
The new product is live and ready for you to try:
- AVAST CreditAlert Free – This option introduces the anti-virus industry’s first-ever integrated free credit report monitoring and alert service. This innovative feature alerts users when changes are detected in their credit file, and provides guidance to help them determine whether the change is an early indication that their personal information has been compromised. The feature is free, with no strings attached, and is easy to activate. Best of all, activation will not impact your credit score in any way.
- AVAST CreditAlert Premium – This low-cost subscription provides comprehensive protection that not only includes credit monitoring and alert services from all three credit bureaus, but also broad-based identity record monitoring, internet surveillance, and full-service identity restoration services. If your personal data is compromised in any way, trained specialists step in on your behalf to investigate, stop and resolve unauthorized activity at no additional cost to you.
And it gets better – ID Watchdog is proud to announce a partnership with award-winning password management solution, LastPass. ID Watchdog will extend credit monitoring, management and ID theft detection and resolution services to all LastPass users – just another way we are working to help better protect your identity and personal data.
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