MicroBilt Helping SMEs Prevent Consumer ID Theft; Launches Industry-first Certification to Users of Personal Credit Histories

MicroBilt Corporation, leading provider of risk management solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is rolling out the industry's first education and certification program designed to equip those handling consumers' personal credit data to deter identity theft. MicroBilt will now require every user of its verification databases to be educated and tested on the ComplyTraq Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Certification Program, a detailed training module on the legal and appropriate use of sensitive personal data. The training can protect smaller businesses from facilitating identity theft, incurring steep fines and jeopardizing customer relations. "The bad publicity and legal ramifications of allowing customers' personal data to be misappropriated can literally devastate smaller businesses but many don't have the resources to keep up on the latest laws and criminal tactics," says Bob Raleigh, Chairman of MicroBilt Corp. "We developed this FCRA training with ComplyTraq to ensure that those using our databases are aware and accountable for keeping customers Social Security Numbers and other personal information from being stolen while establishing credit. Our customers are very enthusiastic about having this information available and being better able to protect their assets and their own customers' privacy." In recent years, several federal agencies such as the FTC and initiatives such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act have addressed identity theft, defining breaches and establishing fines of up to $2,500 per instance of misused data. Individual states also address fraud and privacy violations making the job of staying current on regulations more challenging. Where legal counsel or senior managers may be aware of changes, they often don't have procedures for distilling useful information down to those pulling credit while processing applications. MicroBilt's on-demand FCRA training is highly intuitive and interactive enabling users to go at their own pace while keeping education engaging and the testing process secure and efficient. New users of the MicroBilt system will have 30 days to complete the FCRA training and final exam and all users will be required to repeat the course annually. "Ounce of Prevention" Reassures Consumers "Our implementation of this FCRA training is a critical step in a major campaign to helping the industry become more proactive about preventing breaches in the first place," Raleigh says. "We're educating our customers from the ground up to avoid risk throughout the process. In turn, we're holding them accountable for knowing what they can and can't do." The ComplyTraq FCRA training module helps businesses virtually eliminate "soft breaches" and inadvertent exposure of data. Soft breaches occur when business employees pry into the private histories of personal associates or of famous people. Even absent the intent to commit fraud, such breaches are illegal violations of individuals' rights and create risk that the data might be seen by those who are seeking to steal identities. "We hear about someone pulling a presidential candidate's passport record and we instinctively know that's a misuse of personal data, but someone may not realize that leaving a password taped to their computer monitor could enable an unauthorized person to access a database and put the company, its assets and its customer base at risk," says Raleigh. More to Come The new FCRA user training rounds out MicroBilt's standard procedures for taking on new subscribers, a process that already includes site surveys and verifying permissible purpose for accessing credit and personal data. Additional modules will follow including Red Flags Training (available October 1) designed to satisfy the Red Flags training requirements for a business’ Identity Theft Prevention Program which must be in place by the November 1, 2008 deadline. Timing & Availability MicroBilt will begin rolling out the ComplyTraq FCRA Training to its 125,000 system users in October 1. The course will be available online for $29.00 with users completing training in approximately an hour. For more information on the ComplyTraq FCRA Training module, visit www.microbilt.com/training About MicroBiltMicroBilt has been an industry leader in risk management information since 1978. A single source provider for credit bureau, collections, identity fraud prevention and screening data access and retrieval, MicroBilt is certified through and provides interfaces with the three national consumer credit bureaus, Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Experian (London Stock Exchange: EXPN) and Trans Union and three commercial bureaus, D&B, Experian and Equifax Business, as well as LexisNexis (NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK), Fidelity National (NYSE: FIS) and ChoicePoint (NYSE: CPS). With solutions optimized for small to medium enterprises (SMEs), MicroBilt provides flexible data access to leading Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and a broad range of industries at www.MicroBilt.com MicroBilt also enables credentialed companies to enhance their web site content offerings by delivering a private labeled site to their established online communities. For more information, please contact MicroBilt Corporation, 1640 Airport Road, Suite 115, Kennesaw, GA, 30144 or www.MicroBilt.com. Telephone: 1-800-884-4747.