Affinion Group has relaunched its PrivacyGuard.com website, giving consumers for its preeminent ID theft protection service a much more robust, innovative and user-friendly experience as it battles the fastest growing crime in America. As part of the refurbished new site, PrivacyGuard unveiled a sleeker logo and tagline. Under the banner "Don't be caught off-guard," visitors to http://www.PrivacyGuard.com, will soon see this as the ideal address at the intersection of personal data and ID protection on the web.

    The new PrivacyGuard.com offers better site usability and easier navigation, as well as an edgier, more refreshed look and feel that inspires better awareness of PrivacyGuard's ID theft protection brand - a diverse mix of ID theft prevention tools and credit score management technology.  PrivacyGuard ID theft protection service, a leading-edge national identity theft protection solution, offers daily credit monitoring, identity fraud resolution support and ID theft insurance, along with high-tech online financial tools.

    ID theft has now surpassed drug trafficking as the No. 1 crime in America, according to the Justice Department. According to a study from Javelin Strategy & Research, there have been 27.3 million victims of identity theft in the past five years in the United States, and nearly 20 million in the past two years alone. This crime costs more than $56 billion or $6,383 per victim annually, becoming so prevalent that an identity thief strikes on average every 3.5 seconds.

    "The crime of ID theft is ever-changing and increasingly prevalent in our daily lives," statedTom Rusin, president of Affinion Group North America. "In order to stay one step ahead of these sophisticated thieves, it is now more important than ever to give consumers the protection they need - and with this new site, security is only a click away."

    "As identity theft escalates and more people become victims of this fraud, there's an even greater need in the marketplace for robust identity theft technologies that can offer security and peace of mind," said Abagnale, "This enhanced website connects consumers to one of the best ID theft prevention tools in the marketplace - PrivacyGuard."

Innovative new features of the website include:
    - Benefits divided into three distinct categories: Your Credit, Your Identity and Your Life
    - ID Theft Quiz to test individual vulnerability
    - Leading fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale, whose life story became a blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie called Catch Me If You Can, is highlighted as the PrivacyGuard product consultant
    - ID Theft Tips and Did You Know? Facts to keep consumers informed and protected
    - Quick links directly to core benefits - credit report, credit score and credit monitoring, including one-click member access
    - Full memberships with ongoing benefits or transactional reports for one-time purchases.