SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2001) - BoomerangIt has teamed up with the National Crime Prevention Council to introduce the McGruff^® ID Armor^® Identity Protection and Privacy Pack, a convenient, comprehensive tool designed to prevent identity theft, the nation's fastest growing crime. According to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, approximately 500,000 people per year fall victim to identity theft, spending an estimated 175 hours of their personal time and more than $800 to clear their names and restore their good credit ratings.

dentity theft has also become a major threat to the nation's collective security. Recent reports show that the hijackers who crashed into the World Trade Towers on Sept. 11 assumed fake identities to accomplish the terrorist acts.

"McGruff^® ID Armor^® is uniquely designed to serve as the first line of defense to protect an institution from an intruder who has taken a legitimate employee's identity," said Eddie Orton, CEO and founder of Centric Media, parent company of BoomerangIt.

BoomerangIt's McGruff^® ID Armor^® pack provides a quick and easy-to-use solution to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. This approach to the prevention of identity theft, recently paralleled by the California legislature and Governor Gray Davis through the enactment of the Bowen Bill (California SB 168), is the only commercially available solution that acts before the crime occurs.

The McGruff^® ID Armor^® pack empowers consumers to take proactive steps to prevent this crime. The pack also provides an extra measure of security, because it's designed to detect fraudulent activity and allows law enforcement, businesses and credit issuers to collaborate to identify, apprehend and prove cases against perpetrators. A consumer can protect his or her name and privacy in about 30 minutes, the time it takes to complete the forms and make the recommended phone calls.

The pack includes everything needed to help prevent identity theft and protect privacy: easy-to-follow directions, a comprehensive and efficient set of pre-addressed letters, address labels and phone numbers that make it quick and easy to complete. Businesspeople, homeowners, employees - any consumer concerned about protecting their identity and privacy - can purchase the McGruff^® ID Armor^® pack online at BoomerangIt.com or Amazon.com for $14.95.

About BoomerangIt
BoomerangIt (www.boomerangit.com) based in San Leandro, Calif., is a global lost and found return service that works with law enforcement and others to return lost and stolen property to its rightful owners. BoomerangIt provides an easy, inexpensive means to label and identify valuable items. It is also a theft deterrent, as studies indicate thieves are less likely to steal marked property. Founded in 2001, BoomerangIt now has more than one million members and is the official lost and found service of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), with a portion of sales benefiting the “McGruff^® ID Armor^® the Crime Dog” programs. For more information or to purchase BoomerangIt labels and tags, visit www.boomerangit.com or call 800-2Boomit (800-226-6648).

About The National Crime Prevention Council
NCPC is a private, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization whose mission is to help people prevent crime and build safer, more caring communities. NCPC accomplishes its mission through training and technical assistance to national, state and local drug, violence and other crime prevention practitioners; demonstration programs which create environments for research and learning; public service advertising via TV, radio and print challenging viewers to act against violence, drugs and other crimes; Crime Prevention Coalition of America is a network of 600+ national, state and local organizations formed to advance the cause of crime prevention; and educating and informing the field on best practices through highly regarded Web sites, brochures, booklets, books, videos, posters and reproducible kits.

About California SB. 168
Signed into law by California Governor Gray Davis on October 11, 2001, the Bowen ID Theft bill requires businesses to cease printing Social Security numbers on health plan and employer identification cards, as well as other kinds of IDs. It also forbids the future printing of Social Security numbers on bank statements and other documents sent by mail, and allows people to freeze access to their credit reports.