Meet Denise
Denise Richardson is a passionate and noted Consumer Advocate who has been the voice of the consumer for more than fifteen years. She works tirelessly to unite consumers with their advocates and raise awareness of and transparency to identity theft, scams and predatory practices. She belongs to a number of nationally recognized consumer advocacy organizations and is one of the few non-attorney members accepted in the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Richardson is also an author who turned her life experiences into her first book, Give Me Back My Credit, a memoir that humanizes and exposes the harmful effects of inaccurate credit reporting, lender errors, illegal debt collection practices and identity theft.
Denise became a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, trained and certified by The Institute of Fraud and Risk Management. In doing so she joins an elite group of professionals to include financial planners, CPAs, accountants, and attorneys who have earned the CITRMS designation.
She has since partnered with The Federal Trade Commission—a government agency whose principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection—in order to help promote their "Deter, Detect and Defend" identity theft awareness program, a program designed to encourage consumers and businesses alike to proactively guard their identities and their data.
As an advocate—and as an identity theft victim herself—Denise has developed strategic relationships with skilled professionals who recognize the significance of promoting consumer protection and education. Her allies include cyber security experts, attorneys, privacy groups, advocacy organizations and the leading identity theft protection company, LifeLock. Denise is often quoted—and frequently featured—as an author, identity theft expert and/or consumer advocate in national newspapers and magazines, as well as on national talk radio shows and television news media.
Denise currently resides in South Florida where she is the consumer advocate/contributing writer for the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper’s online editorial blog "South Florida Says" and Identity Theft Columnist for Lighthouse Point Magazine.
"Denise Richardson is my idea of an American hero. Her work and her advocacy have created ripples of hope that will someday lead to a current strong enough to knock down the walls of consumer and economic injustice."
—Ira Rheingold, Executive Director and General Counsel National Association of Consumer Advocates, NACA
"I hold Denise in the highest esteem. Her passion and commitment to help other consumers to protect their credit is unparalleled. For all that she does as an advocate and a voice for consumers, I am proud to call Denise a friend."
—Todd Davis, LifeLock CEO, LifeLock
"Denise Richardson wasn't satisfied with fighting—and winning—the battle to restore her own credit. Instead, she continues to work tirelessly to make the world a safer place so other consumers will never have to experience the abuse she suffered under our nation's broken credit reporting system. At AFFIL we're inspired by her story and are proud to work with her in the common struggle to regulate credit and lending."
—Jim Campen, Executive Director, Americans for Fairness in Lending
"Denise fights for consumers! She doesn't just speak the truth to and about power, she SCREAMS it in an articulate and down-to-earth voice."
—F. Paul Bland, Staff Attorney, Public Justice
