MasterCard Veteran Joins Secure Identity Systems to Fight Identity Fraud

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Secure Identity Systems today announced that Thomas J. Harkins, former COO of Edentify and Vice President of Security and Risk for MasterCard International, has joined the company as Chief Strategy Officer. Harkins has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, and will lead Secure Identity Systems' business and product development efforts.

Harkins will be responsible for expanding Secure Identity Systems' customer base to reach more financial institutions, corporations, and government organizations. He will also lead business development initiatives for the company's mConfirm product. This new technology uses any mobile phone to match the location of a consumer and their payment card to prevent debit and credit card fraud.

"Tom Harkins has a proven track record of helping companies analyze their financial transactions, identify instances of criminal fraud within their systems, and develop comprehensive solutions that fill security holes," says Bryan Ansley, President and CEO of Secure Identity Systems. "Tom's extensive experience in the industry, particularly his time with MasterCard, will provide the company with the depth and experience we need to expand our customer base, improve our solutions, remain competitive in the marketplace, and ultimately protect greater numbers of organizations and individuals from financial losses associated with identity fraud."

Over the past 30 years, Harkins has served in a number of senior executive roles. His responsibilities have included risk management, security, corporate finance, product development, and strategic planning. Most recently, Harkins served as Chief Operation Officer for Edentify, Inc., an identity management company focused on the prevention and detection of identity theft, where he led all strategic day-to-day business operations, and directed the company's fraud management operations.

Before that, Harkins served as Vice President of Security and Risk at MasterCard. While there, he developed and implemented the company's Risk Assessment Management Program (RAMP), which saved Financial Institutions over $50 million annually from 2000 to 2004 in fraud avoidance. Harkins personally assisted over 400 different global financial institutions in developing sound risk management platforms. He also managed the MasterCard and Visa Issuers Clearinghouse Service (ICS) for nine years, cutting losses due to fraudulent credit applications by 55 percent.

"I've encountered many identity fraud protection systems over the years, but Secure Identity Systems' technology is the most cutting-edge I've seen," says Tom Harkins. "I'm looking forward to leading SIS into this next critical phase of business development, and expanding the company's industry reach. This company is a market leader with the potential to make a tremendous impact on the way people detect and prevent identity fraud."

ABOUT SECURE IDENTITY SYSTEMS

Secure Identity Systems is the leading provider of fully managed, total identity theft protection systems that safeguard financial institutions, businesses, individuals, and households. For more information, visit http://secureidentitytsystems.com/.

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