FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (Oct. 18, 2006) – Identity theft and
fraud are increasingly top concerns among individuals and
small businesses, with 9.3 million Americans victimized in
2005*. Understanding that education is an essential element in
protection from identity theft predators, Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq:
SPLS), today announced it has formed a multi-year alliance
with Frank W. Abagnale, world renowned expert on identity
theft and fraud, author of The Art of the Steal and subject of
Steven Speilberg’s movie “Catch Me if You Can.” To help drive
awareness of solutions to this pervasive issue, Staples Shred
Across America tour kicked off today bringing easy solutions
to seventeen cities across the country via mobile shredder
events.
“Identity theft can happen to anyone,” said Frank W.
Abagnale. “There are many simple, cost-effective safeguards
consumers can use to help prevent them from becoming a victim,
such as investing in a personal shredder and protecting
personal computers with anti-theft locks and virus protection
software. Together with Staples, my goal is to make more
people aware of this issue and to develop new solutions that
address this issue head on.”
“Staples is dedicated to protecting our customers’
identities and sensitive information,” said Jevin Eagle,
senior vice president of Staples Brands for Staples, Inc.
“We’ve teamed up with Frank to educate consumers and develop
innovative security products and services to make protecting
personal information easy.”
Staples Shred Across America events include information and
a demo area aimed at educating consumers about the importance
of security solutions needed for identity protection
—everything from shredders to virus protection software. Tour
stops planned for the U.S. include: Boston, Oct 17; New York,
October 18; Philadelphia, October 20; Washington, DC, October,
21; Raleigh, October, 23; Charlotte, October, 24; Atlanta,
October 26; Orlando, October 28; Tampa, October, 30; Columbus,
November, 2; Cincinnati, November, 3; Indianapolis, November,
6; Chicago, November, 8; Seattle, November 13; San Francisco,
November, 15; Los Angeles, November, 17 and Phoenix, November,
20. For additional tour details, consumer tips on ways to
prevent identity theft and product information visit
www.staples.com/shredacrossamerica.
In conjunction with the tour, Staples is launching an
innovative and exclusive line of Staples brand shredders that
overcome existing limitations in shredder technology such as
size and noise. The newest addition to this line is the
Staples MailMate Junk Mail Shredder ($69.99). Powerful and
compact, the MailMate shreds unopened junk mail, bank
statements, CDs and credit cards. It has a sleek, stainless
steel design that fits into a kitchen or home office. The
Staples Ultra Quiet Heavy Duty MicroCut Shredder ($179.99)
remains one of the most secure shredders on the market,
featuring whisper quiet operation that minimizes disturbances
while producing confetti-size shreds that cannot be put back
together.
In addition to designing and producing essential products
for the prevention of identity theft, Staples is also helping
to lead the development of new security standard. The company
recently became a founding member of a coalition of leading
companies including Visa U.S.A., Microsoft and AT&T, to combat
ID theft and fraud. Known as the Identity Theft Prevention and
Identity Management Standards Panel is a collaboration
spearheaded by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) and the Better Business Bureau system (BBB) to create a
single resource of pragmatic standards, guidelines and
resources for businesses and organizations to prevent and
respond to ID theft and fraud.
About Frank W. Abagnale
Frank W. Abagnale is one of the world's most respected
authorities on the subject of forgery, embezzlement and secure
documents. He was the subject of the major motion picture
entitled "Catch Me If You Can." As a young man, he cashed $2.5
million in fraudulent checks over a five-year period. He was
arrested at age 21 and after five years in jail, he was
released on the condition that he would help the federal
government, without remuneration, by teaching and assisting
federal law enforcement agencies. Mr. Abagnale has been
associated with the FBI for over thirty years and more than
14,000 financial institutions, corporations and law
enforcement agencies around the world use his fraud prevention
programs. Now, he is using his expertise to help Staples
customers keep their personal and business information safe
and secure. More information is available at
www.abagnale.com. This
alliance was facilitated by Axcess Partners Worldwide.
About Staples Brands
Staples offers its customers more than 2,000 Staples brand
products in stores, Staples.com and through catalogs. Products
range from ink and toner to paper, filing systems and
technology
accessories. All Staples products undergo an intense
independent laboratory quality-testing program and are 100
percent satisfaction guaranteed.
About Staples
Staples, Inc. invented the office superstore concept in
1986 and today is the world's largest office products company.
With 69,000 talented associates, the company is committed to
making it easy to buy a wide range of office products,
including supplies, technology, furniture, and business
services. With 2005 sales of $16.1 billion, Staples serves
consumers and businesses ranging from home-based businesses to
Fortune 500 companies in 21 countries throughout North and
South America, Europe and Asia. Headquartered outside of
Boston, Staples operates more than 1,800 office superstores
and also serves its customers through mail order catalog,
e-commerce and contract businesses. More information is
available at
www.staples.com.
###
* According to the 2006 Identity Fraud
Survey Report co-released by Javelin Strategy and Research
with the Better Business Bureau.
Contact:
Deborah Hohler
Staples, Inc.
508-253-8509
Deborah.Hohler@Staples.com
Tara Monahan
Alan Taylor Communications
212-714-1280
Tara@Alantaylor.com
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