(Chandler, Ariz.) – LifeLock, the country’s first and only preventative identity theft solution, has joined a group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the eighth annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), February 5-11, 2006. NCPW empowers consumers by highlighting current consumer protection and education efforts in the fight against fraud in communities across the nation.

According to a survey by the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 25 million Americans – 11.2 percent of the adult population – experience consumer fraud each year. NCPW partner organizations will direct consumers to boost their marketplace savvy at www.consumer.gov/ncpw, where they can take the Grand Scam Challenge.

“Identity theft is a concern that everyone, even kids, needs to address today,” says LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. “Along with other forms of consumer fraud, such as shoddy merchandise or deceptive money-making schemes, it can be combated with accurate public information. That’s why LifeLock is behind this nationwide effort to call attention to consumer fraud in all its guises, and to help people learn to protect themselves.”

LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) uses a system of “locks” on a consumer’s identity that keep it from being used by anyone except its rightful owner. LifeLock is so sure that its system is effective that it offers every customer a $1 million guarantee to cover any expenses and legal fees if a problem ever should occur.

Davis added that whether you’re investing in a business opportunity, buying or selling on an Internet auction, or looking for a scholarship, a home loan, or a great deal on a dream vacation, it pays to know how to spot a scam. Tips on a wide range of consumer protection issues are at www.consumer.gov/ncpw.

National organizers of this year’s NCPW are the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Citizen’s Information Center (FCIC), the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA), the National Consumers League (NCL), AARP, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Call for Action, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).

“LifeLock is proud to share the messages of this year’s National Consumer Protection Week campaign,” said Davis. “We plan to give consumers the tools they need to recognize and avoid fraud and deception in the marketplace.”

For more information about NCPW, visit www.consumer.gov/ncpw.