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Baffled by conflicting information, consumers increasingly drawn into web of 'theft prevention' offerings DECEMBER 19, 2007 Excerpted Article They've seen the ads, heard the statistics, and read the reports. Now, many consumers are officially afraid of identity theft -- and they're creating a wave of demand for identity protection services. According to reports issued separately this week by the Identity Theft Resource Center and Javelin Strategy and Research, consumers are confused by the volume of information they've received about ID theft, much of which is sensationalized or conflicting. This confusion is leading many to reach out for identity theft services -- even though they aren't always sure what they're buying. "From the victim’s perspective, there is nothing glamorous about this crime," says Sheila Gordon, the ITRC’s director of victim services. "It takes hours of hard work, internal strength, time, and courage to clean up the mess left by an imposter. However, you rarely hear about these stories -- you hear about the exciting exploits of 'Bonnie and Clyde' or movies like 'Catch Me If You Can.' In romanticizing identity theft, the media entices novices and young adults to try their skill at identity theft and to play the role." The flood of information also has desensitized consumers to the threat and created apathy among some, the ITRC says. "The failure to believe someone could steal your identity generates apathy," the report says. "Therefore, individuals fail to take proactive steps to minimize risk." But in many other cases, the hoopla surrounding identity fraud is causing consumers to urgently -- and sometimes blindly -- seek protection, creating a burgeoning market for ID fraud prevention services, according to Javelin, a market research firm. "Due to the confusion and fear of consumers, identity fraud protection services are a marketer's dream," Javelin says in its report. Javelin predicts that the market for identity fraud protection services will continue to grow at double-digit rates, with high profit margins, for the next several years. More than 33 million U.S. adults already use a credit monitoring service, and more than 32 million use fraud alert services, Javelin observes. In the future, there is a promising market for data mining -- in which a service provider scans public information and Internet carding sites to warn users of potential threats -- and credit freeze services, which allow consumers to block access to their credit reports, the research firm says. At the moment, however, consumers don't know how to choose these services. "At present, the most successful identity fraud protection services will be determined by marketing, rather than effectiveness, because consumers are confused, frightened, and fraught with misconceptions," the report says. Over time, such services will be differentiated by price, features, ease of use, factual advertising, and the ability to prevent fraud, rather than just detect it, Javelin says. In the meantime, confusion likely will reign throughout 2008, the ITRC says. "There will be a continuation of contradictory studies with less agreement on victim census, cause and effect, facts, and overall cost of identity theft," the report predicts. "This will lead to confusion, misguided legislation, and governmental actions." 
Don't be fooled by the misleading
ads and false promises for
preventing Identity Theft!
Here's what you really need to know. (Read on) The Biggest Misconceptions about Identity Theft: There is a lot of misinformation floating around these days about protecting yourself from identity theft. Here’s a reality check: Can you actually PREVENT identity theft? NO! There are some things you can do to keep thieves from stealing your personal information from your home, your garbage, your computer, etc. (For example – be sure you shred all your bills and other papers with personal information.) The reality is that identity thieves can find your personal information in many places (as shown above) that are out of your control. Here's why: Your personal information is stored on databases and computers everywhere.
So while you can’t actually prevent your identity from getting stolen, you can protect yourself against the devastating consequences of identity theft.    
So now then. No, I am not surprised one bit! While here I am helping families from the two LEADING crimes in the world. Cyber crimeANDIdentity theft. Am I in the right place at the right time? YOU BET! Love,
Jenn 
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