Cifas and Trend Micro announce partnership to combat identity fraud

Fraud prevention service, Cifas has announced a partnership with Trend Micro to deliver JustMe, a first of its kind mobile app designed to protect individuals from identity fraud and online scams.

Fraud accounts for as much as 44% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales, with an estimated £219 billion annual cost to the UK economy. UK consumers have lost approximately £10 billion this year to online scams alone.

According to the Cifas National Database, the largest and most diverse source of fraud-risk data in the UK that enables organisations to share and access real-time data, identity fraud is the most frequently reported fraud type (59%) and is a persistent threat to UK consumers.

JustMe combines real-time identity verification with scam protection, giving UK consumers greater control over how their personal information is used and increased visibility into what they can trust online.  Users will be notified and have the capability to confirm in real-time if any applications submitted in their name (e.g., credits cards, loans, etc.) are legitimate.  They will also have the ability to be alerted if they are being targeted by a scammer or submit suspicious content – text messages, emails, social media posts, etc. – for verification on whether it is a scam or not.

Mike Haley, CEO at Cifas said “Cifas’s partnership with Trend Micro promises to be transformational. Our shared ambition is to provide tools millions of people to protect themselves from fraud. By combining the proven strengths of Cifas and Trend Micro, we’re aiming to deliver a market-leading solution that sets a new benchmark for fraud prevention. This is a groundbreaking move that elevates our capabilities and reinforces our commitment to protecting individuals and organisations from the ever-evolving threat of identity fraud.”

Frank Kuo, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Trend Micro said “We are proud to stand in partnership with Cifas in our shared mission to take a more proactive approach to fighting identity fraud and online scams. They are a unique organisation well-poised together with their membership to stop cybercriminals from causing further harm to consumers. JustMe is a simple but powerful solution intended to give consumers a way to fight back.”