LEEDS, England, January 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
- Over Half of Consumers Persist With Purchases Despite Card Fraud Concerns
- Call Centres Not Doing Enough to Protect Personal Details
A new report from Connected World, leading provider of inbound communication solutions for businesses, has revealed that concerns about credit and debit card fraud are at an all time high amongst UK consumers.
What's more, people are putting themselves at risk by continuing with transactions despite card fraud concerns.
The report commissioned by Connected World surveyed 1,000 consumers across the UK about their thoughts about the security of their telephone transactions and the role that merchants play.
The vast majority (71%) of those surveyed said they felt uncomfortable about giving out their details to a call centre operative. Two thirds (62%) said that they are worried about the security of their personal data when shopping, with nearly half (42%) feeling sufficiently concerned to pull out of a purchase as a result.
Connected World's report has revealed that although security of our personal details is a pressing concern, over half (58%) of us still get frustrated when our call is redirected to a third party as a payment authorisation security measure. The ideal for the majority (88%) would be a phone based payment system that would enable them to pay over the phone, but would prevent their details from being exposed to the operative handling the call.
Jamie Price, Director at Connected World, said: "The findings have revealed that identity theft is a huge concern for consumers, particularly in call centres where over half of respondents believe it to be common place. Alarmingly, personal experience of identity theft and credit card fraud reinforce this belief in 27 per cent of those surveyed. These are frightening figures and it is now vital that organisations using call centres take immediate action to tighten their security and reassure their customers.
"The world's leading payment businesses, Visa and Mastercard, have set the bar for businesses by introducing the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Standard. Any vendors using Visa and Mastercard facilities must comply with the standard, and are subject to spot inspections, so call centres can no longer afford to be complacent. Those that fail to secure consumer data face heavy penalties. Our new PCI TeleSafe product for call centres has been designed to assuage consumer fears and ensure telephone transaction security. It works by providing a solution that masks consumer's personal credit and debit card data, so it is never exposed to the call centre operative."
A TalkTalk Enterprise business, Connected World are specialist providers of inbound call handling solutions, providing network and cloud-based automated technology to assist organisations in call handling, workforce management and efficiency.
For more information about, or to see a video presentation on TeleSafe, visit http://www.connectedworld.co.uk, or see TeleSafe Video Overview (http://www.connectedworld.co.uk/products-and-services/inbound-ngn%27s-servic es/network-service-features/telesafe.aspx)
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About Connected World
Launched in 2007 under the TalkTalk Enterprise brand and in partnership with Carphone Warehouse, Connected World are specialist providers of inbound call handling solutions, providing network and cloud-based automated technology for call handling & workforce management. Based in Warrington, Cheshire, Connected World provide bespoke services to a wide variety of organisations across the UK, including call centre operators, premier league football clubs, hoteliers, groups within the NHS and other areas of the public sector.
For more information please contact
Paul Rogers on +44(0)113-237-2827 or email
paul.rogers@ptarmiganbp.co.uk
Sian Fletcher on +44(0)113-237-2824 or email
sian.fletcher@ptarmiganbp.co.uk
SOURCE Connected World
www.ePINDebit.comwww.e-PINDebit.com www.iPINDebit.com www.PINDebit.mobi
