Company News & Events

Press Release

February 10, 2005

ICFE eNEWS

CasePlanner™ – Powerful Tool to Educate Consumers and Assist Victims of Identity Theft is Now Available Through ICFE

San Diego, CA – Over 27 million identity theft victims and still counting. The stories of the victims and their seemingly endless struggle to right a very personal wrong are agonizing to read. The slow, difficult, and emotionally and financially stressful process of recovering one's good name is an enormous undertaking. There are so many bases that have to be covered, from Social Security, to the department of motor vehicles to the Post Office, to the credit reporting agencies, the banks and credit unions and a long list of important others. It is no wonder victim's throw up their hands in disgust.

Many victims turn to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center (IDTheftCenter.org) here in San Diego for help in managing their identity recovery. The ITRC utilizes a revolutionary software program known as CasePlanner™ to help their clients recover faster.

"Global Fraud Solutions' CasePlanner™ consumer software is a powerful tool in the fight against Identity Theft", said Jay Foley, Co-Executive Director of the Identity Theft Resource Center. "It provides expert, detailed guidance and risk management tools to enable consumers to reduce their risk of being victimized. If you are a victim, CasePlanner™ provides you with the most comprehensive assistance product available to organize, track, report, and resolve your case...all without any monthly fees."

CasePlanner™ is now available through the ICFE by a special arrangement with Global Fraud Solutions, an international leader in identity theft solutions. CasePlanner™ is a patent-pending identity theft prevention and fraud resolution software package designed for concerned consumers and victims of identity theft.

CasePlanner™ provides many powerful tools in the fight against identity theft: A comprehensive awareness and prevention guide to help educate consumers how thieves gain their information and how to avoid being victimized; an encrypted personal account registry where consumers can store their personal information enabling a rapid and decisive response in the event these accounts are ever compromised; an ID inventory to document and record identification and financial instruments contained in their wallet, purse, vehicle glove box, etc; and an exclusive resolution case file system that walks consumers step-by-step through the process of reporting and resolving their case if they are ever victimized.

There are many web sites which can help consumers understand the process of documenting and reporting their case. But, it is still the victim's responsibility to discover how that information should be reported, to document their case for each organization they are working with, and then follow up with each of those organizations until the case has been closed. CasePlanner™ makes that process so much easier to handle and organize.

Jeff Stewart, a Salt Lake City resident and a victim of identity theft said: "this can be an extremely time consuming effort requiring tremendous organizational skills. Many people lack the organizational and follow-up skills needed to get resolution. CasePlanner™ facilitates this effort by providing the victims with clear direction as to what to do next."

The FTC reports that it takes the average victim over 600 hours to resolve their issue. CasePlanner™ significantly reduces the amount of time victims spend resolving their identity theft case by helping them to document, organize, and report their information in a way that law enforcement, banks, and other agencies can use to take immediate action.

The software generates the letters and forms, such as the FTC affidavit, and letters to financial institutions and other agencies which are compliant with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACT). "CasePlanner™ is designed to assist, educate, and enable consumers to reduce their risk, and also to guide, expedite, and dramatically reduce the burden of the resolution process. It's all about giving peace of mind and resolution to those affected by or concerned about this insidious crime," said Michael Barnett, founder of Global Fraud Solutions, a former law enforcement officer, and a victim of identity theft himself.

Prior to CasePlanner™, victims faced a monumental task of first learning and understanding their rights under consumer protection laws, the various and disparate reporting requirements, resolution steps, the specific form or format the information was needed in, and how and where to start. Disorganized or incomplete information meant that there was little hope of speedy resolution, much less a successful investigation resulting in apprehension. By the time the appropriate information got reported to the appropriate person or organization, the thieves were long gone, and the individual's credit was ruined. Businesses and financial institutions were left with a whopping bill, $47 billion according to a September 2003 study by the Federal Trade Commission. The same study estimated that over 10 million people were victimized in a single year. The number of victims has grown exponentially in recent years.

CasePlanner™ enables victims to document their case just once. The software guides the victim through the process, from start to finish. It enables the victim to accurately and efficiently document their case and resolution efforts, generates letters, notifications, and the FTC affidavit in the required formats using a software wizard and one step printing functions. Even further, all of the victim's case information is quickly and easily compiled and presented in concise, organized reports which are readily accepted by investigators.

CasePlanner™ has a retail price of $39.95 plus shipping and handling. By special arrangement with the publisher, Global Fraud Solutions, the ICFE has been authorized to make it available to ICFE Certified Credit Report Reviewers, Certified Personal Finance Instructors and all military counselors, for a limited time, at a special introductory price exclusively through ICFE.info.
(CD-Rom for Windows 2000 and XP platforms)

Sent by:
Paul Richard, RFC (Registered Financial Consultant)
Executive Director
Institute of Consumer Financial Education (ICFE)