Associations offer identity theft awareness campaign

Northwestern Financial Review, Aug 15-Aug 31, 2003 by Hilgert, Jackie

A partnership between the Colorado Bankers Association and Denver-based Heinrich Marketing has given life to a national consumer awareness campaign on identity theft. The campaign, "Prevent the Threat of Identity Theft," was designed with three goals:

* To educate consumers on how to safeguard their personal information;

* To aid those who've fallen victim to identity theft through the proper reporting process; and

* To prevent associated bank losses.

"Every time a consumer's identity is stolen, there's a likelihood that a bank will take a loss," said Don Childears, CBA president and CEO. "Those losses can be quite large at times." The program, which Childears expects will benefit Colorado banks financially, is offered to banks across the country through their respective state associations.

The idea to take the campaign outside of Colorado was Heinrich's. "We told him [Childears] that an awareness campaign launched nationwide would benefit everyone," said Kathie Williams, Heinrich's president of marketing services. Williams compared the program's recognition potential to the crime-watch character McGruff and the Neighborhood Watch program. "Prevention is the only tool a consumer has to fight identity theft," Williams said.

Campaign account manager at Heinrich, Nicole Higgins, said the state bankers associations in Minnesota and Nebraska indicated early interest in promoting the campaign to their membership. "When I saw it, I thought 'it's attractive, it's easy, and it's a tangible way consumers can protect themselves,' " said Debra Hurston, communications director for the Minnesota Bankers Association. MBA plans to incorporate the campaign into its other fraud awareness initiatives.

Childears led a presentation highlighting the program before leaders of other state associations on July 20. Associations were encouraged to begin offering identity theft awareness kits to their members this month.

Heinrich created both a card kit and a signage kit which, when purchased together, will be discounted slightly. The card kit contains 500 plastic wallet cards. Each card lists six essential tips for avoiding identity theft. The reverse side of the card details the steps one would take when victimized by this criminal activity. Four countertop cardholders are included with the card kit. The signage kit contains a poster with campaign messaging, four ATM signs, three window signs and six buttons.

Neither banks nor their associations have an opportunity to customize campaign materials with their own logos. That shouldn't be a deterrent, said Williams. "The program will better serve consumers if it delivers the same message in the same way to everyone," she said. An awareness campaign with national reach giving organizations an opportunity for customization would have been cost prohibitive, she said.

Card kits cost $118 each and sign kits cost $30. The marketing firm is offering discounts on kit orders received by Aug. 29.

For CBA, the desire to help consumers understand identity theft grew naturally from its statewide assault on fraud. For more than a year, Colorado bankers have had access to FraudNet, an online database and fraudulent activity reporting tool. "This campaign is about CBA being a good citizen," Childears said. "What we want to do is help people understand that unscrupulous people steal other people's personal information, then engage in criminal activity which leaves the victim responsible for clearing his or her own name and proving innocence."

Williams and Childears both believe there's no reason banks and other financial services providers wouldn't embrace the campaign. Heinrich Marketing will soon modify its materials to bring consumers the same message via the nation's credit unions. Holding fast to the campaign's goals, Childears remarked, "If an identity is stolen through a credit union account, sooner or later a bank will take a loss too."

"We want it to be a benefit to the whole industry," commented Williams.