Shield Your Information While Shopping On-Line

Identity theft is a growing problem and as it continues to spread throughout the internet, investigators and software developers are gaining a better understanding of the practice of identity theft; how it works, how thieves conduct their practice, and how to stop the problem before it begins. Identity theft comes in many forms, like spam, phishing, e-mail scams, and personal information theft involving social security numbers, credit card numbers, and the like. Both shoppers and online merchants continue to find new ways to halt the instances of identity theft, but there are still some very sophisticated identity thieves who find ways to circumvent these and other anti- theft measures. Inside jobs account for 85% of all online identity theft and the roadblocks implemented by online services have only been marginally successful at preventing this form of theft.

For consumers who worry about shopping online and fear identity theft in its various forms, there are several new services designed to prevent this practice. One of them is Shop Shield; a new, comprehensive software product that allows consumers to shop online without worry. It works in a unique way, preventing identity theft by completely removing the consumer?s personal information from the transaction. With no personal information to steal, identity theft via inside jobs becomes impossible.

What Can Shop Shield Protect?

With Shop Shield, consumers can shop online with greater peace of mind, knowing they are fully protected from:

* Theft of credit card numbers
* Theft of bank account information
* Theft of one?s billing address
* Theft of e-mail address
* Theft of web site log-in information

How does Shop Shield work?

Shop Shield protects the consumer by substituting personal information with anonymous, temporary information each time a shopping transaction takes place. This includes both online shopping transactions and other communication that involve filling out an online registration. Shop Shield operates without using a centralized database, preventing any chance of identity theft from this large pool of data. Personal information is safe because it is stored in undecipherable, encrypted fragments that are then divided into multiple locations with varying sequences. Technology like this is even more advanced than the technological safety standards utilized by banks and it makes inside job identity theft nearly impossible.

Shop Shield further protects the consumer and averts identity thieves by substituting billing information in place of personal information, rendering it useless to identity thieves. Another plus of identity theft is that it basically prevents the common practice of selling personal information to other businesses. Online businesses can sell personal information if they want, but with Shop Shield in place, consumer information will be useless because it won?t be accurate. There will be no way to trace the personal information back to a consumer who uses Shop Shield, protecting the consumer from unwanted marketing and phishing.

Who?s behind Shop Shield?

Shop Shield is a product offered by Kemesa, which is a privately held company based in Salt Lake City, Utah with other offices, including its customer service office, located in southern Florida. The name ?Kemesa? is actually an acronym for the company?s mission: "Keeps Me Safe? and its Shop Shield product has already passed in-depth security evaluations from several important agencies, including the PCI standard for the Payment Card Industry.

Do I need Shop Shield if I am already using other secure measures?

Some consumers might feel they do not need the added protection from Shop Shield because many financial transaction service providers like PayPal, Master Card Secure Code, Google Check Out, Bank of America Shop Safe, and Discover Desk Top already offer protection because they never transmit real card information. However, this protection isn?t comprehensive. Shop Shield offers added protection by safeguarding consumer billing and e-mail information. That?s a big plus.

Shop Shield is available to the general public and it includes a free beta trial. Kemesa is so confident that Shop Shield will protect against identity theft that the company adds a impressive guarantee: If Shop Shield is activated and a consumer?s personal information is compromised, Kemesa will reimburse the consumer up to $10,000 above and beyond any coverage offered by your bank or credit card company.

Identity thieves are always looking for a new way to steal personal information. Shop Shield offers a new, comprehensive technology that shields and protects the consumer from identity theft. With excellent protection like this and a generous guarantee to back it up, Shop Shield is certainly a product worth considering. It adds an extra layer of protection, providing the online shopper with greater peace of mind.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.