GuardID and Equifax to Co-Promote Consumer Solutions for Two-Factor Authentication and Identity Theft Protection
07 December 2006 - 1:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- GuardID Systems(TM) today
announced it has entered into a co-marketing agreement with
Equifax. Under the agreement Equifax will offer ID Vault and the
GuardID Trusted Network to its base of Equifax Personal Solutions
customers. In addition, GuardID's ID Vault retail package will
include a special offer for Equifax Credit Watch(TM), an
industry-leading credit monitoring product. ID Vault is the
industry's first two-factor authentication solution available
directly to consumers. "Equifax is already the leader in monitoring
consumers' credit information to help them protect their
identities," said Chris Atwood, vice president of product
management for Equifax Personal Solutions. "Those consumers will
also benefit from ID Vault, which provides an innovative solution
to protect their online financial accounts." Consumers use the ID
Vault to securely store user names and passwords outside of the PC
to protect themselves against keyboard loggers, phishing, pharming
and other online threats. Based on proven smart card technology,
the ID Vault is a removable USB device that plugs into the USB port
of any Windows XP or Vista-enabled PC. ID Vault works with the
GuardID Trusted Network -- a network that constantly monitors the
security and integrity of Internet addresses for thousands of
financial institutions and brokerages. By accessing online service
providers through the GuardID Trusted Network, consumers can be
confident they are visiting a legitimate site and not a fraudulent
copy. ID Vault is easy to use and portable. It can also be used
with any non- financial Web site that requires a sign-in, such as
online newspapers, email or other Web destinations. It is available
directly to consumers over the Internet and at leading merchants
like Comp USA, Circuit City and Best Buy. The suggested retail
price is $49.99. The risks to online consumers addressed by ID
Vault continue to grow. Approximately 109 million U.S. adults
received phishing e-mail attacks in 2006 according to a new survey
announced by Gartner, Inc. in November 2006. Respondents reported
an average loss per victim of $1,244, up nearly fivefold from a
year ago. In a news release, Avivah Litan, vice president and
distinguished analyst at Gartner, said she believes this is because
"thieves seem to be targeting higher-income earners who are also
more likely to transact on the Internet." "Everyone is asking the
banks and other online companies to solve these security problems;
we're turning that thinking upside down by giving online banking
customers a way to protect themselves," said Jeff Scheel, executive
vice president of GuardID Systems. "To have a company of the
stature of Equifax promote our solution to their customers is a
great testimony to the value of our approach." About Equifax:
Equifax Inc. is a global leader in information technology that
enables and secures global commerce with consumers and businesses.
We are one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data.
Utilizing our databases, advanced analytics and proprietary
enabling technology, we provide real-time answers for our
customers. This innovative ability to transform information into
intelligence is valued by customers across a wide range of
industries and markets. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax
employs approximately 4,800 people in 14 countries throughout North
America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax was founded 107 years
ago, and today is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P)
500(R) Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol EFX. About GuardID Systems: GuardID
Systems, a privately held company, designs, develops and markets
two-factor authentication systems to help consumers protect
themselves against online identity theft. For more information,
please visit http://www.guardidsystems.com/. Copyright (C) 2006
Guard ID Systems. All rights reserved. DATASOURCE: Guard ID Systems
CONTACT: Paulien Ruijssenaars of Guard ID Systems, +1-831-685-2107
or ; or Jennifer Costello of Equifax Inc., +1-404-885-8300 or Web
site: http://www.guardidsystems.com/
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