Prevent ID fraud with leading-edge monitoring, detection and alerts

Norwalk, Conn. - Jan. 9, 2007 - Post-holiday sales are in full swing, but consumers may not know their identities could also be for sale. Experts say if you shopped online or traveled during the holidays, your information is sitting in thousands of databases that could easily be at risk.

"The more difficult you make it for someone to rip you off, the less chance you have of becoming a victim of identity theft. These criminals are not looking for a challenge; they're looking for an opportunity."

Javelin Strategy & Research shows identity theft cost U.S. consumers and businesses $56.6 billion in 2005, or $6,383 per victim. It has become so prevalent that an identity thief strikes every 3.5 seconds, and they're coming up with new ways to get your cash.



A new trend experts are seeing: Shoulder surfing to get your personal identification number, or PIN. This happens primarily when you use your debit card at gas stations or convenience stores. Most of these retail outlets have a camera pointed right at you, meaning your PIN is caught on tape, compromising your security.



"Stealing PINs is the modern day bank robbery; it's the new frontier in identity theft," said Dan Clements, chief executive officer of CardCops, a data analysis technology solutions leader. "Criminals can turn a PIN into immediate money. In contrast, when a credit card is stolen, thieves must buy something, then liquidate it."

Another alarming trend is identity theft hackers, usually on foreign soil, buying, selling and trading identities online in chat rooms. Experts say this is the next generation of organized crime. Credit cards numbers are sold for $1-2. Full profiles go for about $5-20, which could include a person's name, address, credit card or bank account, PIN, Social Security number, date of birth, even the victim's mother's maiden name. Identity theft protection products, such as ID Secure, monitor these chat rooms and alert customers immediately.

Abagnale says identity theft is growing but there are ways to protect yourself. His advice:

1. Never answer unsolicited emails.

2. Never link to a Web site from a site.

3. Always type in the address yourself. Don't give out personal information by email.

4. Make sure you have a product, such as ID Secure, that monitors billions of public records and cyber-crime chat rooms for your identity.

"These new technologies, such as ID Secure, keep consumers one step ahead of would-be ID thieves. They are perhaps the best chance of avoiding identity-related criminal abuse," said Abagnale. "Punishment for fraud and recovery of stolen funds is so rare that prevention is the only viable course of action."

ID Secure fights ID theft with these innovative weapons:

• Public records management and control, called a Personal Information Profile - This powerful tool delivers a comprehensive report of consumers' public records, so they can detect potential public record manipulation. It also shows others who have similar identities (i.e.: similar names, address, age), so consumers can be aware of potential mistaken identity before it happens.


• Proactive personal data, social security number and credit card monitoring, called Data Sweep - This monitors your name, address, phone and other personal information in certain Internet directories, with tools to request removal of the information from the public eye. Proprietary technology scans billions of public records to detect unauthorized activity, including attempts to manipulate your SSN to create a synthetic identity. A real time early warning system protects you from credit card fraud - before it happens.


• ID theft resolution & insurance - A dedicated caseworker will assist victims of ID theft with restoring their names. Victims also receive up to $10,000 in ID theft insurance (no deductible), that covers certain legal fees, lost wages and other out-of-pocket expenses.


• ID scoring, education & awareness - An online National Fraud Score survey assesses an individual's vulnerability to identity theft, identity manipulation or mistaken identity. Resources, tools and tips on fraud prevention and public record management are also available.

About Affinion Group

Affinion Group (www.affiniongroup.com) is a leading affinity direct marketer of value-added membership, insurance and package enhancement programs and services to consumers. With more than 30 years of experience, Affinion Group currently offers its programs and services worldwide through more than 4,500 affinity partners. Its diversified base of affinity partners includes leading companies in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, retail, travel, telecommunications, utilities and Internet. Affinion Group also has a growing loyalty solutions operation that administers points-based loyalty programs. Based in Norwalk, Conn., Affinion Group has approximately 3,600 employees throughout the United States and in 14 countries across Europe.

Affinion Group has established itself as a premiere security, credit monitoring and identity theft protection innovator. It launched HotLine, a leading ID theft, credit card, fraud protection and security service in 1969. PrivacyGuard, a comprehensive membership credit monitoring product which was created in 1992, remains one of the largest in the U.S. Other ID theft protection services in Affinion's thriving security business include PC SafetyPlus, an identity theft software service that protects members with a personal firewall to thwart hackers and other online ID threats. PC SafetyPlus software features automatic updates and service upgrades for protection against prevailing computer viruses, spyware and worms.

About CardCops

CardCops protects consumers from identity theft by providing them with the means of determining whether their credit card, social security number, or other personal information has been compromised, even before it is used to commit a crime; and helps global Internet merchants reduce losses due to fraud by identifying transactions involving stolen credit cards. CardCops collects compromised data from cyberspace and makes it available in "real time" to consumers, merchants and banks. CardCops began scouring cyberspace for compromised personal and financial information in 2000, and has supplied information to the Credit Card Associations, the FBI, the Secret Service, various Attorneys General offices, and other law enforcement agencies. What is unique about much of the data found by CardCops is that it has not yet been used maliciously, and therefore enables the CardCops customer to take pro-active steps to prevent identity theft and fraud from occurring.

About Affinion Group
As a global leader with nearly 35 years of experience, Affinion Group (www.affinion.com) enhances the value of its partners' customer relationships by developing and marketing valuable loyalty, membership, checking account, insurance and other compelling products and services. Leveraging its expertise in product development and targeted marketing, Affinion helps generate significant incremental revenue for more than 5,300 affinity partners worldwide, including many of the largest and most respected companies in financial services, retail, travel, and Internet commerce. Based in Norwalk, Conn., the company has approximately 3,300 employees throughout the United States and in 10 countries across Europe, and markets in 14 countries globally. Affinion holds the prestigious ISO 27001 certification for the highest information security practices, is PCI compliant and Cybertrust certified. For more company and investor information visit www.affinion.com.