Personal Security and Identity Theft Expert Says Frequency of Data Breaches Means Consumers Must Take Their Identities into Their Own Hands

(BOSTON, Mass. – June 27, 2006 - IDTheftSecurity.com) Last week one of the three major credit unions, Equifax Inc., lost one of its own laptops to theft. Robert Siciliano, personal security and identity theft expert, said the event strikes to the core of our data security system’s fundamental flaws. With both response from industry and government being slow at best, Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, has encouraged consumers to take their identities into their own hand.

“Laptops are no place for sensitive data,” said Siciliano, who presents workshops to Fortune 500 companies nationwide and is president of IDTheftSecurity.com. “Companies continue in their unwillingness to learn basic lessons. At the same time, we’ve seen proposals from government this month to further restrict access to the credit freeze. We face the cold reality that we must go without much help from industry or government in protecting our own identities. Luckily, tools are at our disposal at the individual level. We’re going to need them.”

Author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” Siciliano provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. Siciliano discussed identity theft on CNBC’s “On the Money” multiple times in January and, recently, on NBC’s “Today Show.”

On June 20, Reuters and others reported that Equifax Inc., one of the three major credit reporting companies, had suffered the theft of a laptop computer. The machine contained identifying information on the company’s 2,500 U.S. employees. According to the company, the laptop housed no data on the millions of consumers whose credit scores Equifax sets. The company also said the employee was not allowed to store the information on his laptop, but did have authorized access the data.

“This is one of the companies whose information databases determine whether we’re good enough to get credit,” said Siciliano. “And yet it seems that their security measures aren’t good enough to keep their own employees’ information safe. We can only hope they will offer those affected more than free credit monitoring for one year.”

Last week’s Equifax laptop theft followed last month’s loss of a Department of Veterans Affairs laptop containing personal data on millions of U.S. veterans. Siciliano again encouraged all veterans on the list of 17.5 million affected to immediately enroll in IdentitySweep, a service that manages subscribers’ public records while monitoring their credit card information and Social Security numbers. Veterans can go to www.identitysweep.com/vet and receive a full year’s worth of IdentitySweep for only $18, a discounted rate, from MyPublicInfo, the Arlington, VA consumer identity protection company that created the service.

“Plenty of options exist for consumers to protect themselves,” Siciliano concluded. “Identity theft insurance, for instance, is a wise choice, and companies should consider investing in password-protected locks for their employees’ laptop computers—that is, if they make the mistake of using laptops to transport personal financial information in the first place.”

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Identity theft affects us all, which is why Robert Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, “The Suze Orman Show,” “ABC News with Sam Donaldson,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” and “The Howard Stern Show.”

The media may reach Siciliano at 1 (888) SICILIANO (742-4542). Visit his Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com, or his blog, www.IDTheftSecurity.blogspot.com. Siciliano’s full contact information follows:

Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
E-MAIL: Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
http://www.idtheftsecurity.com/

The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly. They may also contact:

Brent W. Skinner, President
STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
E-MAIL: BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
http://www.STETrevisions.biz