The company offers 50% off its Premium Service for one year to any individuals affected by the elaborate theft ring that stole 40 million credit card numbers.

August 6, 2008—Bellevue, WA—In response to the indictments that were unsealed Tuesday in nation’s largest data breach, FreeIDENTITYprotect is offering 50% off their Premium Service for a year to individuals impacted by the identity theft ring that stole 40 million credit card numbers and sold the information on the internet. FreeIDENTITYprotect’s basic service is always free, but the Premium Service provides additional protection including: recovery assistance from Identity Specialists and customized monitoring of known criminal websites for the illegal selling or trading of their credit card information or Social Security Numbers.

The federal indictments were unsealed on Tuesday in Boston and San Diego, uncovering information to the public on the largest identity theft ring in the United States’ history. 11 individuals have been named in the indictment, with only three of the criminals in custody. It alleges that the perpetrators hacked the networks of nine major U.S. retailers, stealing 40 million credit card numbers between 2005 and 2007. The identity thieves sold the credit card information on the internet black market to individuals worldwide who used it to make purchases and withdraw cash from ATMs. The elaborate scheme was hatched by three U.S. citizens, three Ukrainians, two Chinese citizens, an Estonian, one citizen of Belarus and one individual whose identity remains unknown.

“Identity information is stored in hundreds of places today, from college databases to credit card companies to online websites,” said Craig Muller, President of FreeIDENTITYprotect. “The key to protecting that information is being proactive instead of reactive. FreeIDENTITYprotect scours the internet black market for your personal information giving you the earliest possible notification of potential identity fraud and provides Identity Theft Specialists to help resolve any problems with your personal information.”

FreeIDENTITYprotect’s comprehensive free identity theft prevention service:

• Reports suspicious credit events;
• Significantly reduces pre-approved credit card offers;
• Provides free access to all three credit bureau reports;
• Reduces telemarketing calls
• Reduces junk email

FreeIDENTITYprotect’s Premium Service:

• Includes all services available above PLUS:
• Scours known criminal websites for the illegal selling or trading of credit cards or Social Security Number
• Provides $25,000 identity theft insurance
• Includes Identity Theft specialists on call to help resolve any issues

FreeIDENTITYprotect not only provides the earliest possible notification, but its Premium Service provides an unmatched level of identity theft prevention for the same price as other companies charge for fraud alerts alone.

For individuals who believe their information was compromised by this incident or if you have received a letter from a company regarding a separate breach incident, please contact FreeIDENTITYprotect at (800) 506-9984 to receive their Premium Service for an entire year at a 50% discount.

About FreeIDENTITYprotect

FreeIDENTITYprotect is the leading provider of a new breed of service to help consumers safeguard their Privacy and Identity. Through innovative technology, individuals receive the earliest possible notification in advance of potential misuses of their identities so they can take better control. FreeIDENTITYprotect is a privately-held, venture-funded company headquartered in Bellevue, WA. Investors include Monster Venture Partners and North West Venture Assoc. For more information, go to www.freeIDENTITYprotect.com.

11 people were indicted today for allegedly stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers, federal authorities said. These men allegedly hacked into various department store computer systems, stole credit card information and sold many of them on the internet. Read the whole story on CNN here.

freeIDENTITYprotect’s premium service users know that we are monitoring their personal information in cyberspace in places where thieves buy and sell personal information. Be alerted if your credit card or social security number is listed for sale on one of these sites. Find out the details of freeIDENTITYprotect’s Premium service.

The high cost of credit monitoring service is once again in the news.

The New York Times article points out that consumers are duped into thinking that FreeCreditReport.com will provide access to their free credit report mandated by the government. This is not the case. Consumers must sign up for Experian’s credit monitoring service in order to get the “free” report. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only sight developed by the credit bureaus and mandated by the government that can give consumers access to their free credit reports.

freeIDENTITYprotect.com, links consumers to the proper site and all other best of breed sites that provide consumers with the ability to protect their identities without having to pay a fortune for services.

You may review my blog from March where I go into detail on why credit monitoring is overrated and overpriced.

There have been many lawsuits against Experian (and their entities). Many have settled out of court. The most recent case accused Experian of unjust enrichment, constructive trust, and conspiracy. It’s much less expensive for Experian to settle rather than go through with the lawsuit.

Internet users are bombarded with emails from senders attempting to fraudulently obtain their personal information, and then use it to steal their identity for personal gain.

Phishing as it is known, involves the sending of a massive number of emails appearing to be from a legitimate source such as a bank, retailer, eBay, PayPal or others. Many recipients assume the emails are legitimate since some already have a relationship with the legitimate company. These messages typically contain a realistic message that your account has been compromised or closed, or in the case of eBay, a disputed transaction.

These emails prey on consumers fears which increase the response rates. They then lure you into clicking on a link in the email to “correct the problem” or confirm personal information.

Things to Watch Out For

• False website. Many phishing emails point you to a fraudulent web site that appears to be the subject site, complete with proper formatting and logos just like the real deal. Never click a website link from an email. Instead, enter the URL in a web browser.
• Generic email greeting. A typical phishing email may address you in a generic fashion, such as “Dear User” rather than using your real name.
• Sender’s Email Address. The “From” email address may appear to be from a legitimate source. These emails can easily be altered and should not be used to verify the authenticity of the email or the sender.
• Avoid Filling out Forms in the Email. Many times phishing emails will request personal information be “validated” and ask you to enter personal information on a form. If you have not initiated the contact, don’t fill out these forms.
• Act Now or Negative Action will be Taken. Most Phishing emails typically try to convince you that urgent action is required or negative action will be taken against your account. Call the company and ask them about the issue before responding.
• Attachments. Open attachments if you are certain who the sender is and you know exactly what the attachment contains. These attachments could contain small programs that can run on your computer and record your keystrokes or transmit other personal information to the bad guys.
• AntiVirus and Anti-Spyware. Keep your AntiVirus and Anti-Spyware up to date. Many will catch these emails before you do, but they are not foolproof. You must continue to be vigilant.

Reputable companies do not ask for your personal information via email or request you update your files. If you are not 100% sure the email is legitimate, delete it and call the legitimate company. Consider the email the bait. Don’t get caught by a “phish”.

This has been verified on Snopes.com and by the FBI. http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced.

Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn’t show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.

The scam has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, and Colorado. This scam is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they’re with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

According to Javelin Strategy and Research about 24 million customers have signed up for credit monitoring services. For $60-$180 per year, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion state they can protect you from identity theft by regularly watching for changes in your credit report. Unfortunately, credit monitoring is overrated and overpriced.

1. Credit Monitoring often only monitors one credit bureau. Since creditors don’t always report to all three credit bureaus, you may be missing out on important notifications.
2. Speed of notification is a problem. Some credit monitoring services report only once per week. In addition, delays in reporting information by the credit bureaus means notifications could take up to 45 days to go out. Consumers need information quickly if their identities are in jeopardy.
3. Credit monitoring is reactive and not proactive. It doesn’t stop the issuance of credit to an identity thief. It only notifies you that someone has opened an account in your name or has inquired about credit in your name.

Reviewing your Credit Reports, adding Fraud Alerts to your credit files and Credit Card/Social Security Number Monitoring are much more effective ways to prevent identity theft.

Instead of paying for credit monitoring, do the monitoring yourself by ordering copies of your credit report from all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) and review them carefully. There can be significant differences between your reports at the three bureaus, depending on which bureau each of your creditors report to.

Four months after ordering your first bureau report, order a copy of your report from the next bureau, and four months after that, the third credit bureau. This way, you get a free copy every four months. Review the reports carefully for any unexpected activity or accounts you don’t recognize.

Adding a fraud alerts to your credit report warns potential creditors to contact you by phone before granting credit in your name. Would you rather

1. Get a phone call from a credit asking if you applied for credit or
2. Wait to get an email from a credit monitoring service letting you know an account has been opened in your name?

I think the answer is obvious.

Lastly, none of the credit monitoring services offers proactive monitoring of social security numbers and credit card. The latest identity theft prevention technology scourers internet chat rooms, FTP sites, and other directories and sites for signs of social security number and credit card number fraud. A recent Gartner Group consulting firm report states that this type of monitoring may “overtake credit-report monitoring as an effective identity theft tool by year-end 2009.” See our premium identity protect for more details on this technology.

Without a charge, freeIDENTITYprotect will guide you through the easy steps to access your free credit reports and will notify you every 4 months that it is time to order a new report. The service will also help you add a fraud alert to your credit report and will notify you when it is time to renew it.

Site Provides Customers Free and Easy Access to Best-of-Breed Resources for Identity Theft Prevention

freeIDENTITYprotect.com launches today to provide customers the first free comprehensive resource for identity theft protection. This service consolidates the best-of -breed services available to consumers today in one location - providing a one-stop-shop for identity theft prevention.

“Consumers are confused about how best to protect themselves online. So, they often do nothing, and identity thieves are exploiting that confusion,” said Jim Adler, CEO Demoxi, Inc., the parent company of freeIDENTITYprotect. “freeIDENTITYprotect changes that by giving consumers an easy one-stop-shop for the best ways to protect themselves.”

freeIDENTITYprotect provides access to the leading protection services from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Direct Marketing Association, and the National Credit Reporting Agencies. The service includes access to free credit reports from all three credit bureaus, credit bureau fraud alerts, credit card offer reduction, National Do-Not-Call List access and a junk email reduction service. Consumers are provided with step-by-step instructions, instructional videos, and alerts for obtaining their next free credit report and for re-registering for a fraud alert.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 10 million Americans became victims of identity theft last year- a 41 percent increase over the year before - making identity theft the fastest growing crime in the U.S. Victims of this crime quickly discover that restoring their name and good credit is a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process.

“With database breaches and identity theft on the rise, many companies are providing identity protection services - but in most cases these companies are charging consumers for services that are currently available for free,” said Craig Muller, Vice President Identity Services for Demoxi, Inc. and freeIDENTITYprotect. “freeIDENTITYprotect addresses the growing need for identity theft protection by consolidating these free services into one site.”

In addition to freeIDENTITYprotect, Demoxi offers consumers a paid service called premiumIDENTITYprotect. This service monitors the Internet black market for compromised personal information, and alerts the consumer if their personal information such as credit card and social security numbers are found. This will enable consumers to proactively take action and help prevent an identity thief from using their good credit. It also provides a $1 million service guarantee, $25,000 of identity theft insurance, and access to identity theft specialists to help consumers restore their good credit and name should an identity theft occur.

About freeIDENTITYprotect and Demoxi, Inc.
freeIDENTITYprotect is a free identity theft protection service provided by Demoxi, Inc. It is the only service to provide a comprehensive free resource for consumers to proactively protect themselves from identity theft. In addition, Demoxi offers a paid service called premiumIDENTITYprotect which adds additional levels of protection, insurance, and restoration for their customers. Located in Bellevue, Washington, company leadership has well-over 2 decades of experience in the areas of identity services and Internet security technology. For more information please visit freeidentityprotect.com or demoxi.com.

freeIDENTITYprotect.com launches!

A 6 year old vision has finally come to fruition today with the launch of freeIDENTITYprotect.com. You no longer need to search the internet for hard to find means of protecting your identity, nor do you have to pay for identity theft protection services that are and always should be free.

Identity theft is on the rise as it is very hard to catch those that perpetrate the crime. I believe the launch of freeIDENTITYprotect.com could not come at a better time, with consumer awareness of identity theft at an all-time high primarily due to the myriad paid services and the media.

freeIDENTITYprotect consolidates the best-of-breed free services available today in one location. The free services include access to credit reports, credit bureau fraud alerts, credit card offer reduction, National Do-Not-Call List access and a junk email reduction service. Even if you are already a user of these services on the internet, freeIDENTITYprotect could not make enrolling any easier. My favorite component is the visual dashboard providing access to all available services complete with step-by-step and video instruction. You also receive alerts notifying you when the services expire and it’s time to renew or order new credit reports.

Ok, so what’s the catch you may be asking. What do I have to buy? Other than buying me lunch if you are ever in town, the answer is zero, zilch, zippo! You don’t have to buy a thing unless you want to upgrade to the paid version of the service offering additional levels of protection (coming in March 2008).

Fraudsters are using more sophisticated techniques to steal identities and make money. A large underground black market for stolen personal credentials exists on the internet. These credentials include credit card and social security numbers and are just a few clicks away from fraud or identity theft. That’s why freeIDENTITYprotect has partnered with Cyveillance, also known as the “World Leader in Cyber Intelligence”, to deliver the latest internet monitoring technology to alert you if your credit cards or social security number have been compromised.

The paid version of the service, also known as premiumIDENTITYprotect, combines credit card and social security number monitoring with $25,000 AIG identity theft insurance with no deductible, professional restoration services in the event of identity fraud and a $1 million service Guarantee.

I personally know people who have had their identities stolen and it took them months to restore their good credit. I am sure they would have preferred to have a trained agent guiding them through the restoration process.

Just because you have identity theft protection, doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Be vigilant and don’t ever put your social security number on the side of a bus. Be aware of your surroundings as I discuss in my recent blog Pump Up Your Protection. You will find additional resources on the FTC website www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/about-identity-theft.html. Be aware, as it is an effective weapon against many forms of identity theft.

We hope you enjoy freeIDENTITYprotect.com as much as we are enjoying bringing the service to you. We look forward to your feedback.

Click. Protect. Be Free.

California is a self pumping state, meaning you have to pump gas yourself. There is no attendant. Considering the weather is nearly always perfect in CA, it’s not a big deal. Since I am always questioning, have you ever tried to pump $.01 or $.02 of gas? I don’t think it’s possible to do. The pumps always start at $.03! Try it next time you fill up your tank. Where is the extra $.03 going? If a busy gas station fills 500 cars per day, that’s an extra $15/day or almost $5,500/year to the station owner.

Gas expands when it is warmer. Filling your tank first thing in the morning when the gas and your tank is cool will save you about $.15-$.20 per tank. This more than makes up for the $.03 extra the station makes.

I know many people will take advantage of others when given the opportunity. Staying on the gas station theme, identity thieves are becoming bolder and taking advantage of trusting gas station patrons. Here are a few well known scams that are easily avoided:

• Take your keys with you when you fill up your tank especially when you have family waiting in the car while you pump. I hear many stories of cars stolen with the kids still strapped in the back seat while the owner is watching the pump.
• While some trusting gas station patrons are sliding their credit card in the card reader, an identity thief pulls up next to the passenger door, or walks up to the door, opens it and takes the purse or wallet on the passenger seat. The driver doesn’t know it happened until they get home and look for their wallet. Within hours, those stolen credit cards are added to an organized crime internet site used solely to buy and sell credit card numbers. It could show up in an IRC chat room, a web site designed to buy and sell cards or an FTP site. This is a growing multimillion dollar market and is run primarily by organized crime units. Keep your passenger doors locked when pumping gas.
• Credit cards are not just stolen from gas stations. They are also stolen from gym lockers, restaurant card readers and retail stores and any other place they are used. Keep an eye on your credit cards at all times when they are being swiped, so you know they were not swiped through a second card skimmer used to record the card number.

It’s time to pump up your awareness of identity theft. In this arena, knowledge is power. Check back often for additional insight and tips on protecting your identity.

Be safe.

Identity Theft is a crime that affects 9 million people each year in the US.  The average victim spends over 175 hours trying to remedy the effects of this crime.  When it comes to Identity Theft, being prepared can save you time repairing the problem if you are an unfortunate victim.

First, if you don’t check your credit report at least every four months, I advise you to do so.  You can obtain a free credit report once per year from each of the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com.  If you space out the reports, every 4 months you should be looking at a free credit report from one of the three credit bureaus.

After reviewing the credit report, save a copy in a safety deposit box or fire proof safe.  This preserves a record of what your credit looks like today.  In the event of identity theft, the problem will be easier to repair if this record is available.  Every four months when a new credit report is obtained, it is added to the safety deposit box.  After one year, three credit reports will be stored.  When the fourth report is obtained, replace the last report from that bureau with the new report.  This way, you always have the most current three credit reports available.  Make sure to shred discarded reports.

Additionally, copy everything in your wallet (front and back) and any credit cards, social security cards, medical cards etc that may not be in your wallet and keep that information in the safety deposit box with your credit report.   Make sure you label the copies from your wallet “WALLET”.  In the event your wallet or purse is stolen, you have an immediate source of valuable information about what exactly is in the hands of a thief.  You also have the 800 numbers of all the credit card companies.  You can immediately call them and let them know of the theft.  Update this photocopy at a minimum once a year.

In future blogs, I will discuss additional preventative measures to protect against Identity Theft.  However sometimes it is out of your control, such as a database breach of a company you do business with.  It’s best to be prepared in the event it happens to you.