Identity Theft Certification

Identity theft certification has become a major defense against identity fraud as increasing number of companies and government agencies recognize the growing identity theft threats facing businesses and consumers as well as the need for well educated, trained and qualified professionals to mitigate identity theft risks. Employee error due to the lack of identity theft risk management skills is a major contributor to the rising identity theft epidemic. Therefore, trained and certified professionals in identity theft management are required to take the lead within organizations and educate their employees, ensure compliance with regulations, and, assess the risks.

As business and consumer efforts fail to protect personal information from time to time despite many security and privacy laws, the federal government recognized the need to prevent identity theft assuming that personal information of consumers will be lost or stolen which can lead to identity theft and related fraud. To protect consumers and businesses from the rising cost of identity fraud and extensive efforts required to clean up the aftermath of credit fraud, the federal government introduced the Red Flags Rule to force companies to take the necessary measures to protect themselves and consumers against identity theft.

Many companies are now required to design and implement a comprehensive program to prevent identity theft and reduce the number of actual fraud cases resulting from identity theft. As mentioned, the Red Flag law was created with the assumption that consumer personal information is never completely safe and continues to be abused in increasing number of identity theft cases to commit credit fraud affecting consumer credit files. An adequate Red Flags Rule compliance strategy requires a comprehensive program with many components. In order to develop, implement, manage and enforce an effective identity theft prevention program, key employees, consultants and auditors of companies must be educated, trained and certified in identity theft risk management and prevention techniques. Therefore, fraud prevention certification and identity theft prevention program are key components of an effective strategy to ensure identity theft can be prevented at all times.

To support the efforts of the federal government and companies affected by identity theft in all areas of operations, Identity Management Institute (IMI) has introduced the Certified Red Flag Specialist (CRFS) identity theft certification course to train and certify employees in identity theft management and ensure they have the required skills to administer, manage and implement an identity theft prevention program which effectively identifies, detects and mitigates identity theft red flags or warning signs in all areas of identity fraud.

Identity Theft Certification List

Certified Identity Protection Advisor (CIPA)® 

CIPA professionals are trained to prevent, detect, and resolve identity theft by working with victims, customers, employees, and law enforcement to collectively address identity theft. The CIPA program includes a self-study course and online examination. Visit the CIPA page to learn more and watch a short video.

Certified Red Flag Specialist (CRFS)® 

As consumer information continues to be stolen in large data breach incidents, companies increasingly face the threats and consequences of identity theft regardless of how or from where the identity theft victims’ personal information was obtained. Defrauding businesses is the main objective of identity thieves and well trained CRFS professionals can help organizations detect signs of identity theft (red flags) and prevent fraud in order to minimize losses, protect potential victims, and comply with the regulations. The Certified Red Flag Specialist® (CRFS) designation is the leading registered workplace identity fraud prevention training and certification program developed based on US government approved techniques as outlined in the Red Flags Rule and rigorous examination by Identity Management Institute® (IMI). CRFS is the first identity theft certification program which focuses on identity theft prevention and is fully aligned with the federal Red Flag Rules. The CRFS identity theft certification online course and examination includes a self study guide which is divided into five areas including Red Flag regulation, program administration, program management, risk assessments, and Red Flag management. Visit the CRFS page to learn more and watch a short video.

Certified in Data Protection (CDP)® 

CDP is a comprehensive data protection training and certification program which aims to protect any business or personal data by leveraging industry information security standards and privacy laws. CDP consolidates information security with privacy to address data protection with a cohesive approach. The program a self study guide and online examination. Visit the CDP page to learn more and watch a short video.