ID Protection – Another Line of Defense in the Battle for Personal Security

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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