FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEANECK, NEW JERSEY, January 5, 2012 – Veratad Technologies, LLC, a world class provider of Identity Verification and Compliance Solutions, in tandem with its Global Identity Verification partner, UK based GB Group, PLC have welcomed the United States Department of Justice’s opinion letter which offers new clarification of the Wire Act and have announced that it will make available to US State Lotteries and Online Gaming Operators, a robust offering of online age and identity verification solutions.

Based on the December 23, 2011 release of a United States Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion letter revealing a significant change in DOJ’s position on Internet gambling, stating that the federal Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sports betting, Veratad and GB Group expect significant interest from State Lotteries and Online Gaming Operators looking to do business in any newly legalized US market. The two companies will offer consultancy and online solutions designed to protect against underage access and fraud including money laundering.

“Our Veratad solutions, AgeMatch, IDMatch and IDMatch+PLUS are used in the US by many leading business including those in financial services, social networking, wine, tobacco, digital goods and rated entertainment. Our clients use our service for compliance and to protect their sites from unauthorized underage access and fraud” said John E. Ahrens, Veratad’s Managing Director. “Our alliance with GB Group will afford a US based lottery or gaming operator the benefit of working with the leading global verifications provider experienced in the gaming sector and further allow us to check the age and identity of more than a billion citizens globally.”

As one of the first companies to automate electronic identity checking, and with over 10 years experience providing Identity Verification to the gaming, retail, telecommunications and financial service sectors, GB Group is well placed to help the US gaming sector with its US partner Veratad. Working closely with regulators and online gaming operators in Gibraltar, Malta, Alderney, Isle of Man, US and UK – clients are offered comprehensive player protection, compliance and data protection at sub-second speed.

Emma Lindley, Global Channel & Commercial Director at GB Group adds, “The news that the US has reversed its long-standing opposition to some forms of online gambling is tremendously exciting – for both the US and international business and consumers.

“While the announcement refers specifically to lottery tickets, it moves the chances of online gaming across other sectors – such as Poker and Bingo – a significant step closer. Indeed, the nature of the opinion together with recent positive comments from the Obama administration, suggests that some forms of online gaming will be regulated in the very near future. More news this week reports that New Jersey may be on course to have online gaming legislation in place during the first quarter of 2012, despite a delay in reintroducing New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak’s Internet gaming bill.

“However, opening up the industry in this manner will mean many consumers, businesses and industry bodies are entering unchartered and unfamiliar waters, so they need to proceed with caution. Regulators will naturally focus on player protection, ensuring regulation and compliance obligations are met and that data is secure, but operators also need to be vigilant in protecting their sites from access by underage or unidentified users.

“Implementing proven identity verification systems that assess the user’s behaviour, device and identity details will reassure organisations that they have the best of breed solutions so they can proceed with confidence and build a successful, profitable business.”

GB Group and Veratad announced their strategic alliance back in November of 2011. Under the terms of the alliance, GB Group and Veratad work closely together; each as the primary source for the other in providing verifications. Together, Veratad and GB Group serve a wide variety of organisations requiring identity verification services.

About Veratad
Veratad Technologies, LLC (www.veratad.com) is a provider of both online/real-time and batch Identity Verification and Knowledge Based Authentication Solutions for those who conduct business on the Internet or any business that needs to verify an individual’s age or identity. Its verification solutions are designed to verify an individual’s identity and/or age while protecting sensitive personal data and promoting a high level of consumer privacy. Veratad is trusted by companies large and small to provide verifications of age and identity. Its customers include some of the world’s most well known corporations who use Veratad solutions to reduce the risk of fraud, comply with financial regulatory requirements, provide a safer online experience and act with a greater sense of social responsibility.

For further information, please contact:
John E. Ahrens, Managing Director
Veratad Technologies, LLC
Email: jahrens@veratad.com
Phone Number: 201-510-6000 ext. 114
Web Site www.veratad.com
About GB Group
GB Group is a leading global Identity Management business. It helps organizations recognize and verify all elements of an individual’s identity at every interaction. Through the application of our proprietary technology, we enable organizations to connect, communicate and transact with people safely, responsibly and profitably. In doing so, we help businesses like Virgin Games, PartyGaming, Betfair, 32Red, SBOBet, O2, Laura Ashley, HMRC, Baines & Ernst, GE Money and HBoS understand their customers better to create more meaningful customer interactions – and reduce costs across the business.

GB Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange (GBG). For more information, please visit GB Group’s website: www.gb.co.uk. GB Group – because identity matters™

For any further information, please contact:
Maxine Morgan, GB Group
Email: marketing@gb.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1244 657333

Louise Waller, Bite Communications
Email: louise.waller@bitecommunications.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 8834 3445

As the 2011 holiday season draws to a close statistics show that three days before Christmas there was a 15% increase in holiday spending. This is a great sign for the economy, however, not necessarily for the Merchants.

Fraud is still a factor in gross sales and although fraudulent transactions are down, savvy fraudsters are costing retailers more per transaction. Now, more than ever, fraudsters are buying higher ticket items and services through E-commerce and mobile transactions.

According to a study published by LexisNexis and conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research in 2011 for every $100 a consumer spends the Merchant incurs a true cost of $230.

To combat losses caused by fraud, Merchants should remain vigilant and stay informed about fraud trends. This information can be invaluable when developing a strategy to build a suite of fraud prevention solutions.

Affordable technologies are available for Merchants to employ. Many verification companies offer real-time Identity Verification such as Veratad Technologies with or without KBA Challenge Questions and *ProtectID 2-Factor Out-of-Band Authentication Solutions to help combat the growing costs of fraud.

Looking forward to 2012 the New Year presents a fresh opportunity for Merchants to review vulnerabilities, prepare fraud prevention technologies and enforce programs to help prevent identity theft for the future of the Merchant’s business growth and success.

Read about our solutions…
Identity Verification and KBA Out of Wallet Challenge Questions
2 Factor Authentication

*ProtectID is a Registered Trademark of StrikeForce Technologies, LLC.

LONDON ENGLAND and TEANECK, NJ– November 23, 2011 – GB Group PLC, a leading global Identity Management business and Veratad Technologies LLC, a US based provider of Virtual Identity Verification have announced that they have forged a strategic alliance affording each organisation new opportunities for expanding their respective businesses. As a GB Group partner, Veratad will be expanding its verification services to include the functionality of GB Group’s URU and ID3 technologies, making it possible for Veratad customers to benefit from checking the age and identity of more than 1 billion citizens globally. As part of this agreement, Veratad will have access to GB Group’s excellent Client Services team and expertise in markets and countries around the world where Veratad customers are seeking new business opportunities.

Within this reciprocal agreement, GB Group will deploy Veratad’s AgeMatch, IDMatch and IDMatch+PLUS verification products giving GB Group’s clients access to one of the most comprehensive verification services in the US marketplace. Providing a wide range of proprietary and unique data sources, Veratad’s products offer a high degree of compliance with a range of industry specific regulatory bodies, including the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), adherence with the USA Patriot Act specifically covering the Customer Identification Program (CIP) and standards set by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Innovation is a shared vision between both organisations and Veratad’s unique Social Security Number (SSN) verification feature (SSN is considered an esoteric identity element in the US) is able to validate even a partial consumer SSN – an important feature as consumers are not required to submit their full SSN.

“GB Group is a natural choice as an international verification partner” said John Ahrens, Veratad’s Managing Director. “We know that GB Group’s industry leadership and experience with international age and identity verification will bring significant value to Veratad customers doing business with individuals residing outside the US and we are excited about the many new business opportunities this alliance will bring”.

Under the terms of the alliance, GB Group and Veratad plan to work very closely together; each will be the primary source for the other in providing verifications.

Emma Lindley, GB Group’s Global Channel and Operations Director comments, “We are delighted to be working with Veratad. As we continue to expand our offering worldwide, it is vital our strategic alliances share our global vision and Veratad certainly does. By collaborating with Veratad we’re able to offer the highest standard of ID Verification services to our clients in the US and deliver seamless, cross-border trading. We’re looking forward to developing our relationship further.”
Read more…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EDISON, NJ and TEANECK, NJ-(10/19/11)- StrikeForce Technologies, Inc.(OTC.BB:SFOR.OB – News) and Veratad Technologies, LLC have formed a strategic partnership to offer financial institutions nationwide the tools they need to meet the upcoming January 2012 FFIEC compliance deadline. Veratad is a world-class provider of Virtual Identity Verification and compliance Solutions and StrikeForce is an innovator in the prevention of online Identity Theft and Data Breaches for enterprise, financial institutions, government agencies and consumers.

Under the terms of the partnership, the two companies will work together to offer banks, credit unions and other financial enterprises nationwide a comprehensive approach to compliance and mitigation of fraud and identity theft risks. “We are excited about this partnership with StrikeForce,” said Veratad’s Managing Director, John Ahrens. “Mark Kay and I believe that working together will significantly enhance our ability to assist financial institutions with protecting their customers and meeting their IT compliance requirements.”

On June 28, 2011, the FFIEC issued a supplement to its “Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment,” updating guidance which was originally issued in 2005. The purpose of the supplement is to reinforce the risk-management framework of the policy, and update the Agencies’ expectations regarding customer authentication, layered security, or other controls in the increasingly hostile online banking environment.

The Guidance outlines several authentication schemes and identifies components of a secure online banking implementation for which StrikeForce and Veratad uniquely offer solutions.

“Financial institutions are already required to know the identity of a customer prior to account origination for compliance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act,” said Veratad’s Ahrens. “This new guidance regarding online banking transactions recommends the use of a Knowledge Based Authentication (KBA) that delivers ‘out-of-wallet’ challenge questions. These challenge questions are based on historical information found in publicly available databases and not generally found in your wallet. Veratad’s IDMatch+PLUS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN ANTONIO, October 17, 2011 – Veratad Technologies, LLC, a world-class provider in verification technology services, has joined the KnowYourPhoneBill.org coalition, spearheaded by BSG. KnowYourPhoneBill.org is a website tailor-made for helping consumers understand their phone bill and protecting them from phone bill cramming.

Based in Teaneck, New Jersey, Veratad Technologies, LLC has been an industry leader in verification technology since March 2003. Customers from some of the world’s most well-known corporations use Veratad’s services to verify customer information, reducing the risk of fraud, complying with regulatory requires and providing a safer online experience.

“Veratad has a long history of commitment to consumer protection,” said Veratad’s Managing Director, John Ahrens. “We take great pleasure in joining the coalition members to provide consumers with the tools they need to protect themselves from cramming.”

Each year, millions of consumers choose to pay for a variety of third-party services by having the charges conveniently consolidated onto their landline phone bill. These services include long distance calling; operator- assisted calls; directory listings; voicemail; and e-mail. Consumers appreciate the convenience of having multiple services bundled onto one bill, which reduces their paperwork and the number of checks they need to write. However, each year a very small number of bad actors may attempt to carry out “cramming”— which involves placing charges on consumers’ phone bills for services they did not request or authorize.

KnowYourPhoneBIll.org offers consumers an easy-to-navigate platform with interactive tools and helpful information to understand phone billing and protect themselves from unauthorized charges. Consumers can sign-up to receive e-mail updates and news to learn more about how they can fight against cramming.

The coalition includes additional industry leaders which are also members of KnowYourPhoneBill.org

About Billing Services Group
Billing Services Group (BSG) is the nation’s largest third-party billing and settlement clearinghouse for local telephone service billing. BSG partners with hundreds of merchants, as well as several charitable organizations to allow donors to give to their favorite causes by making one-time or monthly contributions charged to their land line telephone. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Humane Society of the United States are just two of the many prestigious organizations that have contracted with BSG for such services. The company is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, USA and traded on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: BILL). For more information on BSG, visit www.bsgclearing.com.

BSG MEDIA CONTACT
Leslie Komet Ausburn BSG PR
210.326.8992
leslie.ausburn@bsgclearing.com

About Veratad Technologies, LLC
Veratad Technologies, LLC (www.veratad.com) is a provider of both online/real-time and batch Identity Verification and Knowledge Based Authentication Solutions for those who conduct business on the Internet or any business that needs to verify an individual’s age or identity. Its verification solutions are designed to verify an individual’s identity and/or age while protecting sensitive personal data and promoting a high level of consumer privacy. Veratad is trusted by companies large and small to provide verifications of age and identity. In addition, Veratad offers a full suite of online IT Compliance Tools. Veratad’s customers include some of the world’s most well known corporations who use Veratad solutions to reduce the risk of fraud, comply with financial regulatory requirements, provide a safer online experience and act with a greater sense of social responsibility. Veratad is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. For more information contact Tom Canfarotta: 201-510-6000 ext. 120 or by email at tcanfarotta@veratad.com.

###

Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward -looking statements, such as statements regarding the Company’s, and the combined companies’, anticipated future performance, including the ability of the combined companies to expand verification and e-commerce capabilities; to increase product offerings and the size of the distribution channel; as well as statements containing the words, “believes,” “intends,”, and similar words. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the Company’s limited operating history and variability of operating results; competition in the electronic verification and commerce market; the ability of the combined companies to successfully offer the market expanded verification and privacy tools and e-commerce capabilities and services and the market’s acceptance of such offerings, and other risk factors referenced in this release.

FFIEC releases banking authentication guidance advising institutions to include dynamically generated Out of Wallet Challenge Questions instead of the static consumer generated questions. Veratad’s IDMatch+PLUS is a Knowledge Based Authentication Solution which will satisfy this authentication guidance requirement. We have provided a section of the FFIEC Authentication Guidance document pertaining to Out of Wallet Questions from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council dated June 29, 2011 below:

Challenge Questions
“Many institutions use challenge questions as a backup in the event that the primary logon authentication technique becomes inoperable or presents an unexpected characteristic. The provision of correct responses to challenge questions can also be used to re-authenticate the customer or verify a specific transaction subsequent to the initial logon. Similar to device identification, challenge questions can be implemented in a variety of ways that impact their effectiveness as an authentication tool. In its basic form, the user is presented with one or more simple questions from a list that was first presented to the customer when they originally enrolled in the online banking system. These questions can often be easily answered by an impostor who knows the customer or has used an Internet search engine to get information about the customer (e.g., mother’s maiden name, high school the customer graduated from, year of graduation from college, etc.). In view of the amount of information about people that is readily available on the Internet and the information that individuals themselves make available on social networking websites, institutions should no longer consider such basic challenge questions, as a primary control, to be an effective risk mitigation technique.

Challenge questions can be implemented more effectively using sophisticated questions. These are commonly referred to as “out of wallet” questions, that do not rely on information that is often publicly available. They are much more difficult for an impostor to answer correctly. Sophisticated challenge question systems usually require that the customer correctly answer more than one question and often include a “red herring” question that is designed to trick the fraudster, but which the legitimate customer will recognize as nonsensical. The Agencies have also found that the number of challenge questions employed has a significant impact on the effectiveness of this control. Solutions that use multiple challenge questions, without exposing all the questions in one session, are more effective. Although no challenge question method can mitigate all threats, the Agencies believe the use of sophisticated questions as described above can be an effective component of a layered security program.”

Click Here to read the complete document published by the FFIEC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DCIT Automates Virtual Identity Verification for Jewelers to Prevent Fraud and Chargebacks

Teaneck, NJ (May 16, 2011) – Veratad Technologies, LLC, a world class provider of Identity Verification and Compliance Solutions and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), the trusted jewelry industry resource for trade and consumers , announced today that DCIT, Corp. will now offer Veratad’s IDMatch+PLUS, virtual identity verification along with JVC membership to its BusinessMind software solution customers.

DCIT, a company that specializes in the requirements of businesses in the global gem and jewelry industries, will now provide a seamless virtual identity verification solution that is delivered to jewelers directly within BusinessMind, DCIT’s jeweler’s point of sale software solution. The first of its kind, this software makes verifying an identity a simple matter of a few clicks, and is designed to protect jewelers against losses due to fines for non-compliance, as well as fraud and credit card chargebacks. The service is simple, easy-to-use and affordable.

In addition to the Identity verification, each jeweler that qualifies will be granted the many benefits of JVC membership with the service. Cecilia Gardner, JVC’s President, CEO and General Counsel, said, “This is an opportunity for jewelers to stop fraudulent purchases, avoid costly chargebacks and meet their USA PATRIOT Act and Red Flags Rule compliance obligations while enjoying the many benefits of JVC membership.”

“Veratad’s partnership with the JVC has increased industry awareness of the threats posed by identity theft and fraud, and jewelers are now beginning to understand the importance of identity verification. This new relationship with DCIT will make virtual identity verification for DCIT users simple, affordable and effective,” says John Ahrens, Veratad’s Managing Director.

Raffi Minassian, CEO of DCIT, said “We decided to partner with JVC and Veratad for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their respective industry leadership and experience. We are always looking for ways to improve our service.” Mr. Minassian went on to say, “This combination of an online enhancement for identity verification, coupled with JVC membership, allows us to offer our jewelers the valuable benefits of membership with a tool that protects them from chargebacks, fraudulent transactions and potential fines for non-compliance.”

Veratad’s virtual identity verification and JVC membership are now available with DCIT’s BusinessMind point of sale software for jewelers. To learn more about JVC, Veratad or DCIT, contact your DCIT Representative or call Veratad Toll Free at 888-510-7343.

About DCIT Corp DCIT Corp. provides software and technology services for business computing on all major platforms including Linux, Windows, and MacOS X. DCIT specializes in the requirements of businesses in the global gem and jewelry industries and serves hundreds of companies. To learn more, visit www.dcit.com.

About Jewelers Vigilance Committee Jewelers Vigilance Committee, founded in 1917, is a not-for-profit legal trade association fulfilling its mission to maintain the jewelry industry’s highest ethical standards. JVC offers dispute mediation and arbitration services for trade and consumers, compliance monitoring and precious metals testing, among many other services. JVC, long considered the industry’s guardian of ethics and integrity is a resource for the entire jewelry industry and its customers as well as an industry representative before government agencies, media and adjunct fields. For more information visit: www.jvclegal.org.

About Veratad Technologies, LLC Veratad Technologies, LLC (www.Veratad.com) is a world class provider of real-time online Identity Verification and Knowledge Based Authentication Solutions designed to verify an individual’s identity and age while maintaining a high level of consumer privacy. In addition, Veratad offers a unique online Red Flags Rule Compliance tool for the creation of an ID Theft Prevention Document and Employee Training designed to meet the compliance requirements of FACTA. At the center of Veratad’s success is a state-of-the-art privacy processing platform which delivers Veratad’s AgeMatch/Age Verification Solution, IDMatch/Identity Verification solution and IDMatch+PLUS/Knowledge Based Identity Authentication Solution. Veratad also offers a patent pending solution that protects sensitive customer information while offering merchants increased online sales by enhancing customer confidence. Veratad verifications can be delivered in a matter of seconds directly through multiple verification platforms to commerce, financial and government institutions. Veratad also provides a wide range of custom data solutions.

For More Information Contact:
Tom Canfarotta , Senior Account Executive
Veratad Technologies, LLC
Teaneck, New Jersey P: 201-510-6000 Ext 120
sales@veratad.com

VisionMenu Automates Identity Verification for Automotive and Powersports Dealers

TEANECK, NEW JERSEY March 31, 2011 – Veratad Technologies, LLC, a world class provider of Identity Verification and Compliance Solutions, announced today that Veratad’s Red Flags Rule and ID Verification solutions will be offered to all VisionMenu, Inc., dealerships nationwide.

VisionMenu, a high quality provider of software selling solutions to Automotive and Powersports dealerships, selected Veratad to provide a seamless solution that is delivered to dealers directly within the dealer’s menu services. This online solution, which makes verifying an identity a simple matter of a few clicks, is designed to protect dealerships against losses due to fines for non-compliance, as well as fraud and identity theft.

“The Red Flags Rule requires dealers to detect, prevent and mitigate identity theft. Dealers using online ID verification are taking an important step in meeting their compliance requirements and assuring the person presenting a verifying document is in fact who they say they are,” said John Ahrens, Managing Director at Veratad. “In addition to avoidance of fines for non-compliance, use of online ID verification is a way for dealers to reduce their risk of fraud and mitigate the reputational risk associated with the theft of a consumer’s identity.”

Finance professionals are in a perfect position to assist their dealerships with Red Flags Rule compliance requirements by including the identity verification with OFAC just before vehicle delivery. This approach not only protects consumers, but also protects the dealership from fraudulent transactions without interrupting the early stages of the sales cycle.

Ron Martin, CEO of Vision Menu, said “We selected Veratad because of their industry leadership and experience. We are always looking for enhancements to our solutions that will offer value to our dealership customers, and while VisionMenu is known for helping dealers sell more units, increasing F&I product sales and profitability analytics, the addition of Veratad allows us to offer our dealerships a powerful tool that protects them from fraudulent transactions and potential fines for non-compliance.”

Veratad’s Red Flags Knowledge Based Identity Verification tool is now available in VisionMenu Pro. To learn more about VisionMenu or Veratad’s Red Flags Rule special offer, contact your VisionMenu Representative or call Veratad Toll Free at 888-510-7343.

About VisionMenu, Inc. VisionMenu is a high quality provider of Software Selling Solutions to Automotive and Powersports Dealers. The VisionMenu PRO platform includes VisionMenu, VisionDesk, and VisionReport. These solutions help dealers sell more units, increase F&I product sales, and gives them the analytics they need to evaluate profitability. VisionMenu was designed by The Vision of F&I, Inc., a leading provider of Sales and F&I Training. The sales expertise of The Vision of F&I gives VisionMenu a unique user interface to make it the most effective sales tool of its kind. VisionMenu currently integrates with 25 product rating and enrollment web-services. For more information go to www.visionmenupro.com

About Veratad Technologies, LLC Veratad Technologies, LLC ( www.Veratad.com ) is a world class provider of real-time online Identity Verification and Knowledge Based Authentication Solutions designed to verify an individual’s identity and age while maintaining a high level of consumer privacy. In addition, Veratad offers a unique online Red Flag Rules Compliance tool for the creation of an ID Theft Prevention Document and Employee Training designed to meet the compliance requirements of FACTA.
For more information contact:

Tom Canfarotta
Senior Account Executive
Veratad Technologies, LLC
Teaneck, New Jersey
P: 201-510-6000 ext 120
F: 201-510-6036
sales@veratad.com

On March 8th, 2011, the Federal Trade Commission released the list of top consumer complaints received by the agency in 2010. For the 11th year in a row, identity theft is on the top of the list with 250,854 or 19% of all of the complaints. Read more….

On January 1, 2011, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began enforcing its Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act) Red Flags Rule. The Red Flags Rule requires that each “financial institution” or “creditor”—which includes most securities firms—implement a written program to detect, prevent and mitigate identity theft in connection with the opening or maintenance of “covered accounts.” These include consumer accounts that permit multiple payments or transactions, such as a retail brokerage account, credit card account, margin account, checking or savings account, or any other accounts with a reasonably foreseeable risk to customers or your firm from identity theft.

http://www.finra.org/Industry/Issues/CustomerInformationProtection/p118480