The Affiliated Group Taking a Compliance-First Approach to Collections; Retains TECH LOCK, Inc. to Perform Onsite PCI DSS Assessment

TECH LOCK, Inc. announces that The Affiliated Group, Inc. (TAG), an industry-leading accounts receivable management company, has successfully met the stringent standards of an onsite PCI DSS audit conducted by a PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). TAG, a company committed to customer service has moved away from the frequently seen PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) to a PCI DSS onsite assessment normally required for Level 1 Merchants and Service Providers.

“It is no surprise that protection of consumer information and reputation risk is a large concern” said Mark Neeb, president and chief executive officer at TAG. “TAG understands the importance of compliance and data security to our clients. Although an onsite PCI DSS assessment is not required of us, TAG is going above and beyond by having an independent third party audit of our controls protecting cardholder and consumer information. TECH LOCK comes highly recommended in the ARM Industry and we want the best for protecting our clients’ data and consumer information.

“The TAG team is very in tune with the evolving requirements in the ARM Industry,” says Todd Langusch, TECH LOCK’s president and chief executive officer. “99 out of 100 companies will take the easy route and turn in their PCI DSS SAQ signed by a corporate officer. Unfortunately, 99 out of 100 times if those companies have not worked with a PCI QSA or do not have PCI Internal Security Assessors on staff, those SAQs are incorrectly completed. This puts cardholder data, consumer information, and trusted client reputation at risk.

The PCI DSS is a great industry best practice for data security in addition to supporting Nevada’s NRS 603a Security of Personal Information Law or Minnesota’s Plastic Card Security Act. Most organizations do not realize that their networks are ‘flat’ and cardholder data and consumer information can be synonymous regarding data security and a PCI DSS Report on Compliance can be a great due diligence tool for Creditors, Issuers, and other clients that you are seeking to retain and demonstrate a low level of risk for safeguarding their information.”

The Affiliated Group specializes in the management and recovery of accounts receivable portfolios in both pre and post charge-off phases. Customers benefit from a dual-support approach of having both internal customer service representatives as well as account executives in the field to help ensure strategic goals are met. The combination of intellectual capital, reliable processes and strong adherence to all state and federal laws makes The Affiliated Group a leader in recoveries for creditors in the Medical, Government, Utility, Higher Education and Retail industries.

TECH LOCK, Inc. is a Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI QSA) and Approved Scanning Vendor (PCI ASV) focused on serving the ARM industry, including credit grantors, collection agencies, debt buyers, service organizations, healthcare providers and more. Tech Lock’s IT professionals all possess Fortune 100 and ARM industry experience. This makes Tech Lock uniquely skilled in serving the ARM industry as it relates to information technology, data security, and regulatory compliance. Compliance validation is performed in areas such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, GLBA, Red Flags Rule, ISO 27002, FISMA (NIST 800-53), Nevada NRS 603a, Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00, and CFPB Readiness. TECH LOCK is a service disabled veteran owned small business. For more information, please visit www.techlockinc.com.