Reunion Group and the Sun Sentinel Introduce a New Initiative to Mitigate Digital Identity Fraud

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Last year, cybercrime and digital identity fraud impacted millions of Americans costing consumers in excess of $20 billion.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) December 13, 2013

The Reunion Group and the Sun Sentinel, a subsidiary of the Tribune Company, have entered into an agreement to introduce Sun Sentinel Alert! in early December. Sun Sentinel Alert! is an identity protection product customized specifically for newspaper readers and their families.

The service monitors over 600,000 web pages in real-time. There is a child social monitoring component, a credit report and credit score monitoring module, and over 20 notifications delivered in real-time – all designed to help protect consumers from being victimized by identity fraud.

“Last year, cybercrime and digital identity fraud impacted millions of Americans costing consumers in excess of $20 billion. This is a significant commercial issue. By way of comparison, $20 billion is about twice as much as the revenue generated by all 32 teams in the NFL in an entire season,” said Riad Shalaby, Chief Executive Officer of the Reunion Group.

Cybercrime is a complex problem. There is not a simple, one dimensional solution. Digital fraud is easily disguised. Criminals steal personal information in a variety of ways – by installing unknown software (worms or Trojan Horses) and viruses on personal computers. Criminals monitor chat rooms in an attempt to acquire personal data or they may send fraudulent email containing viruses. They establish fictitious websites anywhere on earth to hack into computers.

In the virtual world, cybercriminals are not bound by physical borders or policed in accordance with our rules of law – another reason why parents are well advised to pay attention to their children’s online behavior. Sun Sentinel Alert! now helps them to do that.

Sun Sentinel Alert! has been developed along three dimensions. It provides comprehensive protection to individuals and their children. The consumer experience is intuitive, easy to use, and cost-effective to acquire. At the core of the product’s design is thoughtfully embedded educational material delivered throughout the consumer experience. “Once a subscriber becomes educated and understands the issues, he or she is in a better position to accurately estimate their risk. Then families may take the action that is most appropriate for their individual circumstances,” Shalaby stated.

“Whether a person is shopping online, purchasing a home or car, or simply looking over their children’s shoulder as they surf the web, protecting their family’s good name is one of our readers’ top concerns,” said Tom Nork, Sun Sentinel’s Vice President and Circulation Director. “As our community’s watchdog, Sun Sentinel’s top priority is arming our readers with information. Helping our readers protect themselves against cyber fraud is an important consumer service. This initiative is good for our readers and good for our business. We look forward to launching Sun Sentinel Alert!” Nork continued.

“This is a significant opportunity for the Reunion Group. Tribune is one of America’s leading multimedia companies. They have significant assets in publishing, digital and broadcasting – with prestigious newspapers in eight major markets including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Together with our colleagues at the Sun Sentinel, we will work hard to provide value to their readers and to maximize our partnership opportunities throughout the Tribune organization,” said Shalaby.

About The Reunion Group
Located in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, The Reunion Group is a leading marketer of consumer protection programs. Formed in 1995 as a supplier of fee-based enhancement programs for credit card issuers, the company has during the ensuing years expanded its marketing and distribution capabilities to also focus on digital content providers, newspapers and multi-channel merchants. Clients include many of the nation’s largest banks and retailers.

About Sun Sentinel
Sun Sentinel Company, LLC reaches an audience of nearly 2 million in a variety of ways including print, online and mobile. We interact with South Florida through our more than 30 products. As a multimedia company, we are integrated across publishing, interactive and broadcasting, allowing us to offer customized multi-platform advertising solutions. Sun Sentinel Company, LLC is a subsidiary of Tribune Company.

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