Kemesa: Solving the identity theft problem

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“The root of consumers’ fear about the safety of shopping on the Internet is linked to the vast amount of data being shared with vendors, and the fact that there is little control over what happens to that information once it’s been submitted in order to pay a bill or make a purchase,” said Jay Foley, executive director of the San Diego, California-based Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). “We feel strongly that the emerging class of Secure Payment Agent products will effectively address these consumer concerns by allowing them to shop anonymously.”

We note that Shop Shield is the first product to meet the ITRC’s “recommended performance characteristics” necessary to be classified as a Secure Payment Agent (SPA), as defined in the ITRC’s recently published SPA white paper.

How does Shop Shield works
Shop Shield consists of two components:

  • The Companion enters anonymous data into requested field on the Web site
  • The Shop Shield Web site securely monitors and stores all transaction details

The Companion (a browser add-on) automatically launches and auto-fills fields necessary to complete a purchase with anonymous identity and payment information at an ever-growing number of major sites. It can be launched manually at any site by clicking on the Shop Shield icon in the browser tool bar. If a user is at a computer that does not have the Companion, he or she can use Shop Shield directly from www.shopshield.net.

The company highlights these benefits and features of Shop Shield:

  • Widely accepted: Shop Shield works at nearly every Web merchant and bill pay site where credit cards are accepted, including most of the Internet Retailer Top 500 e-retailers. It can also be used at most non-transactional sites to replace required registration and login information with anonymous data.
  • Flexible, anonymous payment options: For shopping or paying bills online, Shop Shield creates an anonymous, virtual VISA credit card and replaces all billing information. Shop Shield offers three types of anonymous cards to accommodate different payment situations:
    • one-time use cards for single purchases
    • convenient, reusable credit cards for sites which are interacted with frequently
    • travel reservation cards which are issued in the traveler’s real name, but keep everything else anonymous.
  • Track and manage account activity: The Shop Shield Web site works with the Companion to report all anonymous payment and identity information it creates. Each transaction is summarized in one easy-to-read and accessible online activity report.
  • Prevents phishing, spam, and viruses: Shop Shield helps