Jun 01, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. — For more than a century, the men and women of Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) have given selflessly to defend those throughout the world who could not fight for themselves. True heroes, these veterans have earned their good names through great sacrifice, but their honorable deeds are of no consequence to identity thieves ready to tarnish their credit histories, perpetrate fraud and leave behind mountains of debt.
LifeLock is honored to partner with the VFW to help foreign war veterans protect themselves from another battle, the fight against identity theft. Many veterans are vulnerable to having personal information stolen as their social security number is their unique identifier to all military installations. The use of personally identifiable information of military men and women is more accessible as the information is listed on all documents as well as on individual dog tags. This new partnership offers VFW’s more than 2.2 million members a discount on LifeLock services, which work proactively to help protect members from identity theft. LifeLock joins VFW’s extensive list of benefits that aim to give support to veterans and their families.
“These veterans have fought hard to protect us, and now LifeLock can show our gratitude to help protect them from identity theft,” said LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. “As identity thieves are attacking consumers in various ways, we are honored to partner with the VFW to help them protect the good names of our service men and women.”
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans' service organization composed of combat veterans and those who currently serve on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and is one of its oldest veterans' organizations. With 2.2 million members located in 7,800 VFW Posts worldwide, the VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to "honor the dead by helping the living" through veterans service, legislative initiatives, youth scholarships, Buddy Poppy and national military service programs. Annually, the VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 13 million hours of community service to the nation. For more information or to join, visit the organization's Web site at www.vfw.org.
Identity theft is costing Americans more than $1.8 billion annually, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and the latest FTC report on identity theft shows the number of identity theft complaints has grown by 21 percent from 2007 to 2008.
“We are pleased with the opportunity to team with LifeLock in providing identity theft protection to VFW members,” said VFW Adjutant General Allen “Gunner” Kent. “ Thousands of veterans are at risk, including older veterans who may not fully understand the ramifications of identity theft and fraud, and with the families of our troops, especially those with loved ones deployed in harm’s way.”
About LifeLock®
LifeLock is a proactive identity theft protection service providing consumers with confidence and control as an answer for their good faith suspicion of becoming the next victim. LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) leads the charge against the crime by educating consumers, working with law enforcement, and developing leading services/products, and doing what it should for members.