Equifax Expands Relationship with EarthLink to Help Consumers Safeguard Against Identity Theft

Equifax Inc. today announced that it has expanded its relationship with EarthLink to help consumers thwart identity thieves and become effective guardians of their financial well-being. Through this relationship, Equifax offers convenient access to credit management tools through EarthLink’s new Protection Control Center, an integrated suite of protection and security features that make securing a home computer faster and simpler.

“In an age where identity thieves are always lurking, the first line of defense is easy access to the right protection tools and resources,” said Steve Ely, group executive, Personal Solutions, Equifax. “Working with EarthLink, Equifax is making it even easier for consumers to take a proactive approach to credit management and identity theft protection by offering the latest tools and technologies to the millions of consumers that will benefit from EarthLink’s Protection Control Center.”

EarthLink’s Protection Control Center incorporates individual security features into a single, easy-to-manage product suite that scans systems for the latest online threats in up to half the time it takes to scan using stand- alone anti-virus and spyware products. Armed with the ability to quickly secure their home computers, consumers gain peace of mind and can focus on their Internet experience.

The Protection Control Center leverages EarthLink’s ScamBlocker™ to help block consumers from accessing fraudulent phishing sites. This valuable tool helps protect consumers from another type of threat – identity theft. Visitors to the center also can take advantage of a range of Equifax credit monitoring tools such as Equifax Credit Watch™, an online monitoring service that alerts consumers to key changes in their Equifax Credit Report™. Consumers have the option of purchasing Equifax Credit Watch™ Gold or Equifax Credit Watch™ Silver based on their monitoring needs and notification preferences. Through this initiative, consumers can take advantage of a promotion offering a 30-day free trial of Equifax Credit Watch. Also available on the site, Equifax Credit Watch™ Gold with 3-in-1 Monitoring notifies consumers automatically via email or wireless alerts within 24 hours of meaningful changes reported by the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Designed to signal potential identity theft, these alerts give consumers the highest level of fraud protection available.

“EarthLink is providing subscribers with industry-leading tools and services that deliver the latest in safety and security,” said Kevin Brand, vice president of product management at EarthLink. “The EarthLink Protection Control Center gives consumers a single, easy-to-use resource to help protect them from spyware, viruses and identity theft. By partnering with Equifax, we now can enhance our existing products to provide powerful credit monitoring tools that allow customers even greater protection,” Brand added.

As part of its relationship with EarthLink, Equifax offers a co-branded toolbar powered by EarthLink that enables consumers to quickly determine the safety levels of Web sites – adding another line of defense against identity theft and fraud. Downloadable to any Internet user, the toolbar alerts consumers to known or suspected phisher sites and offers access to Equifax credit management products such as Score Watch, a credit score monitoring service that notifies consumers of changes to their credit score that can affect a loan interest rate.