DMA Partners With FTC to Offer Online Safety Tips for Consumers

DMA Partners With FTC to Offer Online Safety Tips for Consumers

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Committee on Social Responsibility today announced that it has partnered with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to co-sponsor "On Guard Online" a consumer brochure that lists seven practices for safer computing on the Web. The FTC will launch the On Guard Online campaign today at a press conference in Washington, DC.

  The seven practices include:    1. Protect your personal information.   2. Know whom you're dealing with.   3. Use anti-virus software and a firewall, and update both regularly.   4. Be sure to set up your operating system and Web browser properly, and      update them regularly.   5. Protect your passwords.   6. Backup important files.   7. Learn whom to contact if something goes wrong.  

"Our partnership with the FTC and our commitment to publicize this brochure show that the DMA is working toward creating the safest possible online environment for consumers," said Patricia Kachura, senior vice president, ethics & consumer affairs, DMA. "DMA's new Committee on Social Responsibility has as one of its priorities clearing communications debris from the electronic tracks of commerce. This is a first small step in kicking off that giant effort."

"We believe that increased consumer confidence in the online channel is a win-win for consumers and marketers," said Kachura. Consumers who feel confident and safe about their online experiences can gain easy access to millions of products, services, as well as information and research to help them make smart buying decisions. Marketers gain from the reduced costs and enhanced measurability that a multi-channel campaign brings.

The brochure can be accessed via the Web at: http://www.onlineonguard.gov/aboutus.html

The DMA will create awareness of this new brochure among consumer advocates and consumer marketers and others

  Other topics covered in the brochure include:    -- Zombie drones   -- Spam   -- Parental controls   -- Email attachments   -- Phishing   -- File-sharing   -- Hacking    Excerpt from OnGuard Online: 

"Access to information and entertainment, credit and financial services, products from every corner of the world -- even to your work -- is greater than earlier generations could ever have imagined. Thanks to the Internet, you can order books, clothes, or appliances online; reserve a hotel room across the ocean; download music and games; check your bank balance 24 hours a day; or access your workplace from thousands of miles away.

The flip-side, however, is that the Internet -- and the anonymity it affords -- also can give online scammers, hackers, and identity thieves access to your computer, personal information, finances, and more. But with awareness as your safety net, you can minimize the chance of an Internet mishap. Being on guard online helps protect your information, your computer, even yourself. To be safer and more secure online, adopt these seven practices."

The Direct Marketing Association (http://www.the-dma.org/) is the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting direct marketing tools and techniques. The DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the entire direct marketing process.

Measured against total US Sales, direct marketing sales are expected to generate $1.85 trillion in increased sales in 2005, or 7.0% of the $26 trillion in total sales in the US economy. Founded in 1917, The DMA today has more than 4,800 corporate, affiliate, and chapter members from the US and 44 other nations, including 55 companies listed on the Fortune 100.

Source: The Direct Marketing Association

CONTACT: Louis Mastria, +1-212-790-1529, Lmastria@the-dma.org, or
Stephanie Hendricks, +1-202-861-2407, Shendricks@the-dma.org, both of The
Direct Marketing Association

Web site: http://www.the-dma.org/
http://www.onlineonguard.gov/aboutus.html