CyberScout, an industry leader in identity management, identity theft education and resolution services, announced today its new complimentary fraud alert protection program. This offer will provide the millions of customers, policyholders; members and employees of CyberScout’s institutional clients’ access to a vital tool that can help reduce their risk of identity theft.
The crime of identity theft is growing at an alarming rate, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Gartner, Inc. Since January 2005, more than 150 million personal records have been exposed in data breaches, a phenomenon to which there is no end in sight. The question has become not a matter of if one will become a victim of identity theft, but when. In the face of such dismal odds, however, a simple fraud alert is one of the best lines of defense in identity theft risk management, according to consumer experts.
“Identity theft is an insidious crime,” said CyberScout Chief Operating Officer Judd Rousseau. “Consumers deserve the best proactive tools available and we’re dedicated to getting them the help that they need.”
CyberScout has responded by giving its consumers the ability to place fraud alerts automatically – at no charge – with all three major credit bureaus. Participating consumers will also be removed from promotional marketing lists, which further reduces the risk of their becoming identity theft victims.
“Providing this free service is another example of how CyberScout strives to protect the American consumer from fraud,” said Adam Levin, CyberScout Chairman and former Director of Consumer Affairs for the State of New Jersey.
“Although individuals can do this directly with the credit bureaus, the current process might be unclear to some consumers, especially with the addition of companies selling and promoting fraud alerts for substantial fees. Such a service is generally not worth the money,” said Rousseau. “Now, it only takes a phone call to one of our highly-experienced fraud specialists, who will enroll participating consumers in the fraud alert service for as long as they wish—again, at no charge.”
CyberScout also provides an expert personal advocate to assist members, one-on-one, through all of the challenges of identity theft restoration. The company's resolution service is designed expressly to reduce the time, stress, financial impact and other costs suffered by identity theft victims, and to simplify the process for all involved.
“Proactive fraud alerts and consumer education are vital components of the suite of proactive identity theft risk management and resolution services we offer our institutional clients for their customers, policyholders, members and employees. Additionally, as identity theft education is so critical to our mission, all consumers have access to CyberScout’s vast body of daily alerts, monthly newsletters, white papers, in-depth articles and interviews through our educational site, www.identitytheft911.org,” said Levin.
