Protect Your Identity Week Held from October 20 to 27 to Increase Public Awareness of Identity Theft

To increase public awareness of identity theft, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), along with the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) and the National Association of Triads, Inc. (NATI), is hosting the fifth annual Protect Your Identity Week (PYIW) from October 20 to 27, 2012 with the theme of “ID Theft Protection on the Go.” To find PYIW events as well as identity theft protection resources, steps for identity theft victims, and a quiz to assess identity theft risks, visit http://www.protectyouridnow.org/. “A healthy fear of ID theft is a good thing,” NFCC spokesperson Gail Cunningham stated in a news release that referenced a recent online poll conducted through ProtectYourIDNow.org that revealed a majority of consumers – 64 percent – believe they are at risk of identity theft. “People often become complacent, particularly with their mobile devices. When people see their wallet, credit cards or checkbook, they think of money. However, they don’t connect the dots that critical financial information may be stored on their smartphone, thus putting them at significant risk if lost or stolen.” The Protect Your Identity Week campaign will offer close to 100 events across America from October 20 to 27 including free shredding of personal documents, responsible cell phone recycling, identity theft protection handouts, and credit report reviews. This year’s theme is “ID Theft Protection on the Go” was chosen since smart phones give identity thieves another opportunity to help themselves to personal information. For a selection of smart phone safety articles to help prevent identity theft, visit: http://www.protectyouridnow.org/ID_Theft_Protection_on_the_Go.cfm. In addition, the Identity Theft Risk Check^SM is a short quiz that will help consumers identify any gaps in their knowledge of mobile and smartphone identity theft protection to lower their risk of being targeted by identity thieves. After submitting answers to each true or false question, consumers will be given a score that will show if they are a high-risk, medium-risk, or low-risk to be a victimized by identity theft. To take the Identity Theft Risk Check^SM, visit: http://www.protectyouridnow.org/id_theft_quiz.cfm. Identity theft – defined as someone using another person’s name and identifying information to steal an identity – is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. For the 12th year in a row, identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Of more than 1.8 million complaints filed in 2011, 279,156 – or 15 percent – were identity theft complaints. For a list of steps for identity theft victims, visit: http://www.protectyouridnow.org/steps_for_victims.cfm. The rise in the use of smart phones and social media by consumers has led to a rise in identity theft. As reported earlier on the ESR News blog ‘Identity Theft Rose 13 Percent in 2011 with Help from Social Media and Smart Phones,’ identity theft incidents in the United States rose by 13 percent in 2011 to affect nearly 12 million Americans, according to the ‘2012 Identity Fraud Report: Social Media and Mobile Forming the New Fraud Frontier’ survey released by Javelin Strategy & Research. To download the identity theft survey from Javelin, visit https://www.javelinstrategy.com/brochure/239.  Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the nation’s largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit counseling organization. NFCC Members help more than three million consumers annually through 750 community-based offices nationwide. For more information, call (800) 388-2227 or visit http://www.nfcc.org/.  The 2012 Protect Your Identity Week campaign is from October 20 to 27, 2012. To find a PYIW event, visit: http://www.protectyouridnow.org/find_near.cfm. To help lessen the risks of identity theft for jobseekers, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) is offering a whitepaper written by ESR founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen titled ‘The Dangers of Offshoring Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Outside of United States.’ The complimentary white paper, which alerts U.S.-based employers about the potential dangers caused by background check firms “offshoring” PII of American job seekers overseas to countries such as India and the Philippines well beyond the reach of U.S. identity theft laws, is available at: https://www.esrcheck.com/Download/. For more information about background checks, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority’ and nationwide background screening firm accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) – at https://www.esrcheck.com/, call Toll Free at 888.999.4474, or email [email protected]. For information about the second edition of ‘The Safe Hiring Manual’ by ESR Founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen – which contains chapters on identity theft for employers and jobseekers – visit: https://www.esrcheck.com/SafeHiringManual.php. Sources: http://www.protectyouridnow.org/ http://www.nfcc.org/newsroom/newsreleases/Majority_of_ConsumersFearIdentityTheft.cfm https://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/2012/02/23/identity-theft-rose-13-percent-in-2011-with-help-from-social-media-and-smart-phones/ About Employment Screening Resources (ESR): Founded by safe hiring expert Attorney Les Rosen in 1997, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority^SM’– provides accurate and actionable information that empowers employers to make informed hiring decisions for the benefit of their organizations, employees, and the public. CEO Rosen literally wrote the book on background checks with “The Safe Hiring Manual” and ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), a distinction held by a small percent of screening firms. Employers choosing ESR know they have selected an agency meeting the highest industry standards. To learn more, visit https://www.esrcheck.com, call 888.999.4474, or email [email protected]. About ESR News: The Employment Screening Resources (ESR) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at [email protected]. To subscribe to the complimentary ESRcheck Report monthly newsletter, please visit https://www.esrcheck.com/Newsletter/.]]>