14 DAY TRIAL // I like it when I see such great initiatives! People often get their data phished because they actually have no idea what they are doing. A lot of people disclose personal info willingly, but this is sure to end soon, if this campaign is a success.
The Anti-Phishing Working Group partners with the Federal Trade Commission to fight against ID theft. This sounds very good to me, as they are trying to inform people about these things and they are just at the beginning, but as I've learned, such campaigns can go down fast with no results if not properly attended to. Still, I hope this one will go well!
The FTC even has a hotline for ID-thefts and boy, is that line hot! They receive between 15.000 and 20.000 calls per week! They even help law enforcers to investigate and prosecute identity theft cases with their Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse. The AWPG is an industry association focused on eliminating the ID theft and fraud that result from the growing problem of phishing, e-mail spoofing and crimeware. Seeing what these guys do, I guess that this partnership is only something natural and they are bound to get some great result while working together!
"The Anti-Phishing Working Group gets calls from consumers and, increasingly, from institutions looking for counseling on all forms of phishing and identity theft issues," said APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy. "A lot of calls come from smaller financial institutions and consumer groups without the staff to research and produce their own educational materials on identity theft. That's why we are providing essential educational materials online, ready to print and distribute, to help arm consumers."
The APWG is offering two educational tools online, "Fighting Back Against Identity Theft" and "Talking About Identity Theft: A How-To Guide" and I hope that people will get notified about such issues both through e-mails, as well as through a publicity campaign. What they need to know in the first place is that these tools exist so they can be freely used. In any case, this partnership is bound to get some great results in the anti-phishing war!