Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Interac "Greatly Concerned" About PIN Debit Breach!


Attention News Editors:

Interac Association Supports Proposed Legislation to Help Combat Identity Theft


OTTAWA, March 31 /CNW/ - Interac Association joined federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson today as he announced legislation to help combat identity theft and applauds the federal government's action. Identity theft, the theft of personal information, can lead to a variety of crimes that significantly impact consumers, business and government, including payment card fraud.

"The government is taking decisive action today to help stop the identity theft domino effect," said Caroline Hubberstey, Director of Public and Government Affairs, Interac Association. Interac Association has long advocated for amendments to the Criminal Code to address legislative gaps relating to identity theft.


Interac Association and its industry partners are greatly concerned about debit card fraud, which results from the theft of a cardholder's magnetic stripe data and their personal identification number (or PIN), and work hard every day to tackle the problem.

Editor's Note:  Doest that sound like a familiar tune?

"While Canadians enjoy the benefits of one of the safest and most efficient payment systems in the world in INTERAC, debit card fraud can occur and that's why we're involved in a multi-layered approach to fight it," commented Ms. Hubberstey.

Interac Association has a number of initiatives in place to protect Canadians, including the transition to chip card technology - a new generation of payment cards that will significantly reduce debit card skimming and the production of counterfeit cards.

"While best efforts are being made to fight identity theft and its related crimes, such as payment card fraud, we are pleased to see assistance at a legislative level as well, and are confident that this proposed legislation will provide a sound framework for the protection of Canadians against identity theft," added Ms. Hubberstey.

About Interac Association
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A recognized world leader in debit card services, Interac Association is responsible for the development and operations of the INTERAC network, a national payment network that allows Canadians to access their money through
Automated Banking Machines and point-of-sale terminals across Canada.  Interac Association was founded in 1984 and is comprised of a diverse  membership that includes banks, trust companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, merchants, and technology and payment related companies. Other INTERAC-branded and related services include: INTERAC Online, for secure online payments directly from a bank account, INTERAC Email Money Transfer, for the transfer of money from a bank account to anyone with an email address, and Cross Border Debit, for point-of-sale access at more than 1.5 million U.S. retailers.

For further information: Tina Romano, Interac Association, Phone: (416) 869-5062, email: tromano@interac.ca






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