Identity Fraud Experts Agree, "The Best Defense Is Self Defense"

Against the backdrop of the Presidential Identity Theft Task Force report last week, a pair of experts in the field spoke out about the need for individuals to take action and defend their Identity. Dr. Jeffrey Stanton, associate professor and director at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, and Michael Durnack, President and CEO of ID Risk Management Associates, recently addressed the topic.

Michael Durnack comments:

--  "The fact that the President created an Identity Theft Task Force
    demonstrates its level of importance on a national security level. The
    reality is that it is individuals who will lose the most and suffer the
    biggest hardships financially and emotionally from this type of crime.

--  "If Identity Theft continues to grow, as it has in the past few years,
    it will eventually have a major economic impact. The federal government
    foresees this as a very real possibility in the near future.  Statistically
    we all stand a good chance of having our personal information stolen in one
    form or another. It will be those individuals who have built up the best
    defense who will be impacted the least from this crime.

--  "We have developed the website  www.IdentityDefense.com  to provide a
    free online risk assessment profile. People can take a brief, but
    comprehensive assessment to measure their level of potential risk. They can
    then choose to receive an Identity Defense Personalized Custom Report
    (IDPCR) to learn how to best protect their personal information."
    

Dr. Stanton says:

--  "Changes recommended by the task force are good first steps, for
    example, eliminating the unnecessary use of Social Security numbers. We
    still have a long distance to go, however, before consumers will get any
    useful help from the federal government in dealing with identity theft.
    Federal legislation is needed in order to harmonize the patchwork of state
    level laws.

--  "The task force did a great job in recommending methods for
    coordinating law enforcement activities related to identity theft. What is
    notably absent, however, is serious movement toward getting commercial
    organizations on board in preventing and protecting against identity theft.
    The report calls for the development of 'national standards' for the
    private sector, but such standards will take years to develop and will
    likely be purely voluntary once established."
    

About ID Risk Management Associates

ID Risk Management Associates is a consultancy committed to helping individuals defend their identity from theft and fraud. We have developed an innovative and proprietary set of tools to help quantify vulnerability and create personalized recommendations for modifying habits and behaviors to reduce risk with an Identity Defense Personalized Custom Report (IDPCR). We provide these tools to individuals online at www.IdentityDefense.com and also work with financial institutions, credit unions, and financial planners to offer their customers tangible Identity Defense solutions.

Contact: Mary Francher Sanefski 315.247.1836 msanefski@IdentityDefense.com