New Certification Seal Identifies Merchants Committed to Fighting Iden...( Merchant Protection Program Launches ...),Health

Merchant Protection Program Launches During National Consumer Protection Week March 1-7, 2009

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Data breaches increased 50 percent in 2008 with the largest increase occurring at corporations and small businesses. In response to this trend and the fact that 86 percent of data breaches could be prevented, Identity Force has announced the launch of the Merchant Protection Program (www.identityforce.com/MPP) in honor of National Consumer Protection Week.

The Identity Force Merchant Protection Program is the first and only data breach prevention and identity protection program developed to help consumers easily identify businesses that are committed to securing personal information and fighting identity theft. Certified merchants will display a seal on doorways and cash registers to designate that they have agreed to compliance, education and consumer protection best practices.

Identity Force is the number one provider of identity theft solutions for the Federal Government and their Identity Protection, Compliance and Data Breach Solutions have the exclusive endorsement of the American Hospital Association. CEO Steve Bearak is leveraging this expertise and infrastructure to provide a comprehensive yet affordable program for small business.

"Most small businesses just don't have the time, knowledge or resources to effectively manage identity protection for their business, customers and employees," Bearak explained. "Since we already work with many of the agencies associated with National Consumer Protection Week, we wanted to support their efforts by launching this cost effective identity theft solution for businesses."

National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is a collaborative effort of agencies including the FTC, Better Business Bureau and U.S. Post Office to emp
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