Proxy Detection web services allow instant detection of anonymous IP addresses. While the use of a proxy is not a direct indicator of fraudulent behavior, it can be a useful indicator when combined with other data elements to determine if an individual is attempting to hide their true identity. The fact is, some of the most used ISPs, like AOL and MSN, are forms of proxies, and are used by both good and bad consumers. The fraudsters know, that is very easy to make their IP geolocation... Read Full Story
According to a recent paper published by Sasha Romanosky, Rahul Telang and Alessandro Acquisti of the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University, the data breach legislation instituted from 2002 thru 2006 has had little effect on reducing ID theft. While the legislation has not reduced ID theft cases the debate is still ongoing if has slowed the rate of increase. It seems the rate of increase is the same in states with legislation and in those without... Read Full Story
Telephone identifcation is the process of determining the type of phone being used by a consumer or end user. This technique looks up the phone number to determine where it was provisioned, and the type of phone it is associated with. Telephone identification, or TNI, serves several important functions. First it authenticates that the number is a real "dialable" phone number. Second it will let you know where the phone was provisioned, the country, region, and city. Lastly, and most... Read Full Story
While the PCI standards have done a tremndous job at helping to secure sensitive credit card data, organiztions still need to take proactive measures to secure their systems from hacking. There have been several documented cases where PCI compliant organizations have been hacked and card data has been stolen. The most notable recent case involved Hannaford Food stores where 4 million credit cards / debit cards were comprimised when fraudsters loaded malicious software on the companies 300... Read Full Story
We are all well aware of the complaints about consumer adoption, issuer adoption, complexity in signup, usability and protection rights with these programs, but we have all been trying to quantify if there is a real impact to sales conversion. Mick Scott of Lastminute.com was quoted in the recent article “Industry lays into 3-D Secure”, Phil Muncaster, IT Week, 11 April 2008 as saying "We turned on Verified by Visa in Spain and it was horrific," said Scott. "There was a 30 per cent drop... Read Full Story
The article from SCMagazineUS.com “Clothing retailer settles with FTC over credit breach” by Dan Kaplan may seem routine. It discusses the missteps the FTC believed the company Life is Good had taken and it outlined the corrective actions. But take a minute to reread the statement by Dan Kaplan; “The FTC said the merchant deceived customers by stating on its website that it valued and secured private data.” Wow, that got my attention. How many retailers take that statement for granted... Read Full Story
On June 4th 2008 Australia will roll out the capability for card present merchants to offer consumers the choice of confirming payment authorization using a physical signature or by entering a 4 digit pin. Notable Quote: According to Pen or PIN project spokesman Simon Greig "Australians are among the most prolific card users in the world, making more that 118 million card transactions a month," Quote is taken from the Herald Sun Article by Alice Coster tittled “Credit card PINs punch wrong... Read Full Story
For those of you that haven’t come across them yet, Fididel is a new eCommerce technology offering the ability for real time negotiation of purchases online. Unlike a traditional auction, buyers don’t have to wait for the auction to end to make a purchase. Additionally buyers that want to buy an item, but aren’t willing to pay the asking price can negotiate in real time with the seller or their representative in real time. For sellers this means a greater opportunity for converting sales... Read Full Story
Based on the article “Card fraud threatens development of European payments network-EU” by Finextra.com on 28 April 2008, it appears that payment fraud is undermining consumer confidence to a level that is impacting initiatives to develop a cross-border payment network in Europe. For more information related to this subject go to the Finextra.com on 28 April 2008 article titled: “Card fraud threatens development of European payments network-EU” Read Full Story
The Australian government is investigating if eBay Australia's policy of forcing payment using PayPal, which eBay owns, or cash on delivery/pick-up, breaches trade practice and competition laws. For more information related to this subject go to theage.com 22 April 2008 article titled: “Reserve bank could Scuttle eBay’s plans” Read Full Story
