Identity does matter: the 1st European Summit announced

Home Office statistics put the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy alone at 1.7 billion. The rapid rise of this 21st century crime across Europe makes it an industry worth billions of euros. It is of growing concern to individuals who are becoming ever more sensitive about how their personal information is stored and who has access to it. It is also of increasing concern to businesses as they struggle to combat fraud and financial crime amid changing consumer behaviour and attitudes.

For this reason a new European Summit has been announced, supported by government, law enforcement agencies, large corporates and consumer bodies alike. Delegates from across all sectors from banking to online gaming, social networking to money transfer firms will gather in London on November 20 and 21 to hear world class speakers address the whole issue of identity ñ and why it matters.

Delegates can book places at the Summit at www.identity-matters.co.uk, ensuring they are at the heart of the discussions on how to protect customer and employee identity ñ and enhance their brand identity - through better business practices. Identity Matters is the ëmust attendí event for organisations who want to stay ahead on matters related to identity management, risk and fraud prevention.

Speakers include representation from HM Treasuryís Public Private Forum on Identity, Simon Davies of Privacy International, Tom Ilube, CEO of Garlik.com and expert speakers from organisations leading the debate on identity including Microsoft, BT, Unisys, Google, MySpace, PayPal and Mastercard.

Keynote presenters include: Jeffrey Robinson, author of The Laundrymen; Professor Laurence Alison, leading criminologist and expert on forensic psychology; Kevin Thomson author of Emotional Capital and a leading authority on extending the value of corporate brands.

The Summit will be held at the five star Langham Hotel, Portland Place, London W1. It is sponsored by GB Group, the worldís leading provider of online identity verification technologies.

Richard Law, CEO of the Chester based plc, said:

ìThis Summit offers a forum for understanding why identity matters, how we can stop criminals from exploiting it and the capital value of a fully authenticated customer and employee base. It will focus on bringing together all sides of the debate on what constitutes identity and how we can best protect it ñ and what organisations can do to maximise the value of all their assets. The Summit brings together world-class speakers addressing the key issues with the very best advice to help businesses profit from better identity management.î

Significant early bird discounts are available until the end of July and places are selling fast.