Twitter on Ulitzer

CHANTILLY, Va., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX), a leading global provider of consumer and corporate identity risk management services, today announced the launch of a major consumer awareness campaign focused on identity exposure and trust. The goal of the campaign is to give consumers hope and reassurance that they can trust their information is safe, even when it is exposed in their day-to-day activities. At the same time, to help limit identity fraud occurrences, Intersections wants consumers to be more diligent and question those asking for personal information.

"From Facebook and online shopping to in-store purchases and doctor's appointments, almost everything we do requires us to share our personal information and a piece of our identity with someone," said Steven Schwartz, Intersections' Executive Vice President of Consumer Solutions. "With all these points of exposure, how do we continue to live life at full speed without the worry of having our information fall into the wrong hands? Intersections launched this campaign to help consumers realize that, even with all these forms of exposure, there are things they can do and solutions they can trust that will help keep their identities safe."

To kick off the multi-faceted campaign, Intersections has launched a series of new radio and TV ads that focus on the message, "It's OK to trust again," highlighting its flagship product, IDENTITY GUARD® Total Protection. Intersections also announced today the "Top 5 Vulnerabilities in Identity Exposure" in an effort to guide consumers to become more aware of their identity exposure and to take action. Finally, Intersections has released advanced threat detection capabilities and new features in its IDENTITY GUARD® Total Protection solution to further protect online accounts and financial information and combat recent threats like account stealing Trojans and keystroke loggers.

According to the Javelin Strategy & Research 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report, approximately 1.8 million more adults fell victim to identity fraud in 2008, compared to 2007, and the number of identity fraud victims has increased 22 percent to 9.9 million adults in the United States. A key challenge that consumers face today is that they increasingly - and often unknowingly -cede more and more of their personal identity to unknown sources in their day-to-day lives. With increasing Web usage and social networking among all age groups, consumers are sharing their personally identifiable information (PII) across a variety of channels and even with strangers.

In conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Intersections has identified the following Top 5 Vulnerabilities in Identity Exposure for Consumers:

1. Pre-established patterns of behavior and complacency - We have established habits or lifestyles that many of us are not likely to change, including giving away our personal information when it's not required or necessary. We should be smarter and question those asking for our personal information... do they really need it? The younger generation can slow down the data distribution channels by asking the same questions and becoming more educated about how and who they share their personal information with.
2. Proliferation of social networks - With the increasing use of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking applications, consumers are unknowingly setting themselves up for identity fraud. For example, by simply posting your pet's name on your Tweet, you could be giving hints about your account passwords and even allowing someone else to "reset" your password and gain access to your personal email, banking or other online accounts.
3. Computer security & Internet scams - Online crime is up nearly 600 percent this year according to the Anti Phishing Working Group (APWG). Criminals are increasingly sending emails that look as though they come from a legitimate company - your bank, the IRS, the Census Bureau - that entice you to click on a website or call a phone number to update your account information, claim a prize, claim a refund, or to activate a benefit. These phishing attacks are popular techniques used among identity thieves to steal your personal information. Theft or loss of physical hardware, such as laptops and PDAs, which are loaded with personal tax documents, bank information, electronic medical records and other PII, has also reached epidemic levels. Encrypting and safe-guarding these devices and documents is critical.
4. Online and offline transactions & the impact of global supply chains - According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, since January 2005, more than 339 million records have been compromised due to security breaches, so chances are your personal information is already out there in locations throughout the world. Even if you have not ventured into the digital world, the average adult still has thousands of pieces of data associated with their shopping habits, medical records, employment, family status, mortgages, etc. that can't be erased. You have no control over how far and wide your personal information can spread.
5. Healthcare - Despite tough federal regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), medical providers and insurance providers are still fertile territory for identity thieves. And with the move to electronic health records and increasing data breaches, privacy concerns are a serious consideration. From a doctor's office making a copy of your driver's license or medical insurance card for their files to erroneous information in your medical records, there are a myriad of ways for your identity to be exposed in the course of treatment.
   

Intersections' IDENTITY GUARD® Total Protection is the most comprehensive offering on the market today covering personal information, credit reports, public records, computer, Internet and mobile. The service also provides sophisticated software that protects consumers against keylogging attacks, secures their passwords and user IDs as they navigate online, identifies legitimate websites, and protects their computers from advanced malware software. IDENTITY GUARD® Total Protection also provides identity theft recovery services and financial reimbursement insurance in the unlikely event of an identity theft. Find out more at www.identityguard.com.

About Intersections

Intersections Inc. (Nasdaq: INTX) is a leading global provider of consumer and corporate identity risk management services. Its premier identity theft, privacy, and consumer solutions are designed to provide high-value opportunities to its marketing partners, including leading financial institutions, Fortune 100 corporations, and other businesses. Intersections also markets full identity theft protection solutions under its brand, IDENTITY GUARD® (www.identityguard.com). Intersections' consumer identity theft protection services have protected more than 25 million consumers.

To address the growing threat of corporate fraud, Intersections and its subsidiaries provide cutting-edge identity management solutions including security breach remediation; pre-employment background screening; and corporate brand protection.

SOURCE Intersections Inc.