US Postal Inspection Service Invites DMA Members to Participate in Intelligence Sharing Initiative

June 1, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has been working for a number of years with the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) on initiatives to assist members face the challenges of fraud perpetrated against legitimate businesses — fraud that significantly impacts marketers’ bottom lines. The US Postal Inspection Service’s Financial Industry Mail Security Initiative recently met in Denver to present updates on current frauds and fraud prevention trends and efforts.

Of significance to DMA members is the Intelligence Sharing Initiative (ISI) Web site, which is a daily digest of information on fraud applications, “hot” addresses (i.e., those used to facilitate fraud schemes), account takeovers, and other data regarding fraudulent financial activities. Data are provided by representatives of major retailers, law enforcement agencies, and financial institutions.

The USPIS reports that the ISI site, designed for collaboration, currently has more than 150 registered users. More marketing members are encouraged to contribute to the ISI endeavor in order to make the Web site as successful as possible.

The database is free to users, who are required to contribute on a regular basis in order to continue to have access to the site.

For additional information on the ISI site, interested DMA members can contact:

· Postal Inspector Terry Jennings-Corcoran at 202.268.4296 or tmjenningscorcoran@uspis.gov

· Postal Inspector Henry Herrera at 856.933.4125 or hherrera@uspis.gov

· DMA Director of Ethics & Consumer Affairs Marsha Goldberger at 202.861.2409 (mgoldberger@the-dma.org).

According to Goldberger, DMA believes this joint effort is a comprehensive way to fight fraud and reduce attendant losses to at-distance marketers, and compliments the US Postal Inspection Service for providing tremendous resources toward identifying, reducing, and preventing marketplace fraud.

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