PIN Payments News Blog Undergoes Makeover

The PIN Payments News Blog has undergone a makeover.  Each day, each of the full day's posts will appear as a summary. 



You can browse the daily postings in summary form or click "full story" to read the entire post.  (Note: You can click the title of the post as well)



Hopefully this is an improvement over the previous layout and allows visitors to to see the entire day's posts in order to assist the reader in determining breaking news that is of particular interest.





JBF

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Internet Security News: December 20th

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The HomeATM Solution

HomeATM ePayment Solutions, is a leading provider of secure hardware and software financial transaction solutions. The Safe-T-PIN point of sale terminal, manufactured by HomeATM, is the first ever Internet PIN entry device (PED) PCI certification 2.x. The Safe-T-PIN™ provides secure multi-factor authentication for e-commerce transactions and secure log-in, including;

• Cardholder Card Control


• Device Level Encryption


• 4-Factor Authentication


• Fraud Reduction/Elimination


• Quick and Cost Effective


• Credit and Debit transaction agnostic

HomeATM's PCI PED certified device and patented solution; is portable, cost effective, secure with instantaneous implementation and completely ubiquitous (integration into any processing platform). Just like the grocery store, gas pump or bank, users simply swipe their card and enter their PIN to authenticate themselves. Merchants can confidently process orders knowing that this method of authentication to represents the lowest fraud risk of any transaction and therefore help provide the lowest fees saving them countless dollars each month. The process is adaptable to niche applications that extend its reach beyond simply online commerce, specifically.

• Person to Person (P2P)


• Business to Consumer (B2C)


• Business to Business (B2B)


• On line banking, authentication


• Field Services (food delivery, MLM, home sales, taxi, etc)


• Prepaid, gift card, stored value and payroll card fund loading


• Cross-pollination of brick and mortar clients to the retailer’s dot-com site


• The most cost efficient POS hardware available

The cardholder and their card are present in all scenarios driving increased security, fraud reduction, and favorable interchange rates.

Security

Using impregnable, unimpeachable security we eliminate fraud in the ePayment ecosystem. HomeATM’s secure architecture is bank and military grade insuring the highest integrity behind every transaction.

Defend Against Hackers who can easily

• Screenscrape


• Phish


• Mouseclick log


• Keystroke logg


• Install malware

Security experts unanimously agree that the Safe-T-PIN is the only secure means of using a PIN on the internet – “swipe, encrypt and transmit”. 

HomeATM's Safe-T-PIN Certification at PCI Security Standards Council

HomeATM is not a payment processor and does not collect, store or transmit any personal or card information during the transaction. Only the purchase details necessary to complete the transaction are transmitted using encryption technology that exceed industry and government guidlines..



HomeATM is committed to continue to provide safe, secure and reliable payment products and services to protect your business, your customers (cardholders), and the integrity of the payment system. These efforts help every segment of the payment card industry - from business partners to financial services institutions - to law enforcement agencies globally.



HomeATM uniquely creates E2EE (end-to-end encryption) that exceeds PCI (Payment card Industry requisites) and FFIEC recommendations thus assuring your security from the moment you take your debit card out of your wallet to the time you put it back.



HomeATM's certified device is the only technology in the world that delivers a bank/military grade secure environment in this fashion.



Download our latest white paper:



PIN Debit Payment with PC Software? No, Thanks!

Press Release:



Chicago, IL.  Mar 19, 2009 – HomeATM ePayment Solutions, a leading provider of secure hardware and software solutions, today announced their newest product, Safe-T-PIN™, has been Payments Card Industry (PCI) PIN Entry Device (PED) 2.0 certified.



The Safe-T-PIN point of sale terminal, manufactured by HomeATM, is the first ever Internet PED to achieve such certification. Safe-T-PIN™ provides secure two factor authentication for e-commerce transactions and secure log-in.



The pocket-sized Safe-T-PIN™ is USB “plug and play”, eliminating the need for drivers or downloads. Additionally, it works with any operating system or browser. The device provides users with the added convenience of swiping their cards versus keying in their numbers and will work with any bank, card processor, and currency.



The significance of this feat is that bank/military grade encryption of financial data from beginning to end is now affordable to the masses.



HomeATM’s mission was to design, build and provide an affordable POS that brought End-to-End-Encrypted (E2EE) security and thus lower fees to merchants and consumers.



The Safe-T-PIN™ also allows authorized secure person-to-person (P2P) money transfers in real-time. “We are proud of our engineering team and extremely excited to provide a cost-effective solution to those who can least afford fraud and risk,” said Ken Mages, CEO.



"The Safe-T-PIN™ exponentially reduces the likelihood of a breach and provides the dual authentication solution that e-tailers and money remittance companies  have been seeking in order to fill the current fraud/security void in secure transactions on the web. HomeATM is already in advanced discussions with several  Fortune 100 companies and this certification will certainly result in expediting those talks.”

HomeATM Corporate Site

Click Here to Go to HomeATM Corporate Website

Quote of the Day

According to a new report from Gartner:

Computerworld - Security measures such as one-time passwords and phone-based user authentication, considered among the most robust forms of security, are no longer enough to protect online banking transactions against fraud, a new report from research firm Gartner Inc. warns.

In Germany, those OTPs are typically called TANs (for 'transaction authentication numbers'). Some banks even dispatch such TANs to the user's mobile phone via SMS, in which case they are called mTANs (for 'mobile TANs').



Millions of online banking customers in Europe use a hardware device to authenticate themselves.. Most of these hardware devices use OTP's, which "are no longer enough to protect online banking transactions" So there you have it.



There are a whole lot of devices that need replacing...

• Todos uses OTP's


• RSA uses OTP's


• Vasco uses OTP's


• Barclays PIN Sentry uses OTP's


• the list goes on...

The EMV Version of HomeATM's PCI 2.x Certified PIN Entry Device would allow the online banking customer to insert their smart card into the EMV reader and Enter their PIN to authenticate the user. (existing cards, PINs and bank rails) It would also enable a "real-time" P2P Money Transfer offering and of course, secure eCommerce as it's never been secured before...



Barclays PIN Sentry is a One Time Password (OTP) Generating Device

Here's an interesting read From "Ranting About Barclays on Two Levels"



"I answered the first question "do you have your PINSentry through the post yet?" with a satisfied 'yes', and was then told to put my card into the slot and enter my pin, and enter the resulting 8-digit code into the website. That's it. No "here's a number, enter it into your device, encrypt it with your pin and enter the signed version back into the website", nothing.



So effectively, the PINSentry is just one of those time-based OTP token devices, only with a little bit of extra security in the way of a card slot and a PIN.



And the device itself authenticates PIN numbers too... my initial glee at having a device that can be used to quickly brute-force peoples' PINs was only marginally dented by the discovery that it has the ability to lock cards if you enter the PIN three times, because I now have a superb device for locking the cards of people I don't like."

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• MasterCard to Authenticate Online Transactions by SMS (textually.org)

Coinstar Money Transfer Signs an Agreement with Pocztowy Bank

There's been a lot of news and movement in the P2P industry.  Just an FYI:  HomeATM is the only company (we are aware of) that can enable P2P Money Transfers in "real-time."   We use existing bank cards, existing PINs and existing Bank Rails.  That means instant ATM access to your cash.  All under the security umbrella of our PCI 2.x Certified PED...



Coinstar expands in Poland, one of top five recipient countries in the world

BELLEVUE, Wash.--Payments Industry News--Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd., a subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), announced an agreement to offer money transfer services in all Pocztowy Bank (Postal Bank) locations. Postal Bank is the largest banking network in Poland, one of the top five recipient countries in the world. With this agreement, Coinstar Money Transfer becomes a key player in the Polish market and a new competitive money transfer service for the Polish Diaspora.



“We are very excited about this cooperation: Poland is among the top five recipient countries in the world and the flow of money to Poland in 2008 reached $11 billion,” said Mohit Davar, CEO of Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd. “This cooperation marks a milestone for our business development this year and in particular for Poland. The agreement with Postal Bank to provide their extensive nationwide network of 5,400 locations will enable our customers to receive cash within minutes all over the country and will give Coinstar the opportunity to serve its objective of providing safe and reliable money transfer services to the Polish Diaspora worldwide.”



Alfonso Grassopoulos, Regional Director of Coinstar Money Transfer for Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Switzerland and Poland continued, “This agreement gives us the opportunity to work with a large and experienced organization like the Postal Bank, to provide Coinstar Money Transfer services to millions of Polish people living and working in Italy, UK, USA and other countries. There is a significant flow of remittances going to the rural areas of Poland, now finally accessible through this crucial cooperation. Within this unstable financial environment, consumers are even more interested in value for money, reliable and secure services, which Coinstar Money Transfer strategically offers in the most important send markets for Poland and its Diaspora, mainly because of its direct and aggressive distribution model”.



"We look forward to adding Coinstar Money Transfer to our money transfer product portfolio and offer more convenience to our current and new customers" said Mr. Tomasz Bogus, President of Bank Pocztowy. "We are pleased to work with Coinstar Money Transfer in the remittance business. Money Transfer is a very important service in Poland for all the families expecting money from abroad and it is our pleasure and responsibility to offer consumers greater choice, convenience and high quality of service. “



About Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd.

Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd., a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc., provides an easy to use, reliable and cost effective way to send money around the world. Our services are specially suited for individuals away from home who need to send money to their family and friends or to manage their personal finances. Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd. has become one of the leading money transfer providers, with over 45,000 locations and operates in 140 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.cmtmoney.com.



About Coinstar, Inc.

Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) is a leading provider of automated retail solutions offering convenient products and services that make life easier for consumers and drive incremental traffic and revenue for its retailers. The company’s core automated retail businesses are self-service coin counting and self-service DVD rental. Other Coinstar products and services include e-payment products – such as gift cards, prepaid debit cards and other prepaid products – and money transfer services. The company’s products and services can be found at more than 90,000 points of presence including supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchants, financial institutions, convenience stores, restaurants, and money transfer agents. For more information, visit www.coinstar.com.



About Bank Pocztowy

Established in 1990 in Bydgoszcz. There are two shareholders of the Bank Code: Post of Poland (Polish Post), that owns 75% of shares (minus one share) and PKO Polish Bank SA (25% plus one share). Both of them are institutions enjoying the public trust having the largest distribution network and access to the most modern banking activities. Uniqueness of the offer of the Postal Bank consists largely in the wide access to the services rendered, found in post offices all over the country. Postal Bank offers a wide range of services, such as Savings and Settlement Accounts, payments and cash withdrawals, deposit accounts or bank loans. They have developed various distribution channels which provide our customers with free access to the accrued resources. The network, consisting of nearly 5,400 posts, is the largest in the country. Postal Bank is a modern universal bank offering customer-friendly and lucid financial services, which are available at the post offices and in the network of the Bank's branch offices across Poland. For more information, visit www.pocztowy.pl

First Two Banks Go Live with CashEdge's POPmoney(TM) Person-to-Person Payments Service

Five More Financial Institutions Preparing to Launch POPmoney in Early 2010

NEW YORK, /PIN Payments News Blog/ -- CashEdge, Inc. (www.cashedge.com), the leading provider of Intelligent Money Movement(TM) services, announced today that two top U.S. banks are the first in the nation to launch POPmoney(TM), its groundbreaking new email and mobile person-to-person (P2P) payments service offered through banks. Five additional financial institutions have signed on to launch the service in early 2010, demonstrating strong momentum for the innovative new P2P payments service.



POPmoney is the first email and mobile person-to-person payments service for financial institutions that allows bank customers to send an electronic payment directly from their online or mobile banking service, by simply using the recipient's email address, mobile phone number or bank account information. Likewise, the recipient of the payment can receive the funds directly into his or her account at any bank through online banking, if the bank offers POPmoney, or at www.POPmoney.com. POPmoney includes support for text messaging, WAP and downloadable mobile applications, enabling financial institutions to extend their P2P functionality to mobile phones.



"The launch of POPmoney by the first two banks is a very exciting and important milestone for CashEdge and for the payments industry overall," said Sanjeev Dheer, CEO and President, CashEdge Inc. "Consumers have been demanding online and mobile payment options that are simple and secure, and we strongly believe that banks are the best provider of these services. These two banks are the first of many who will offer POPmoney to their customers in the next year, ushering in a new era in P2P payments."



Consumers can visit POPmoney.com to view the current list of participating banks. Customers of participating banks can access POPmoney through their bank's online banking or at POPmoney.com.



POPmoney leverages the proven reliability, security and robustness of CashEdge's money movement platform, used by most of the nation's largest banks, which in 2008 processed nearly $50 billion in online funds transfers for bank customers. For current CashEdge clients, POPmoney is a simple upgrade of their existing TransferNow service.



Consumers can learn more about POPmoney by visiting www.POPmoney.com.



About CashEdge



CashEdge is the leader in Intelligent Money Movement(TM) services providing innovative payment solutions to financial institutions for their retail and small business banking customers. CashEdge's services include mobile and online person-to-person (P2P) payments and small business payments. CashEdge currently serves hundreds of leading financial institutions, including seven of the ten largest banks in the country.



CashEdge's industry leading products include POPmoney(TM) for person-to-person payments; OpenNow®/FundNow® for new account opening and funding; TransferNow® for Consumers, which includes Me-to-Me Transfers and Third Party Transfers; and TransferNow® for Small Businesses, which includes Invoicing, Me-to-Me Transfers, Employee Payments and Vendor Payments. All CashEdge products are supported by industry-leading risk management capabilities that leverage proprietary technology to help financial institutions mitigate risk and decrease fraud exposure.



The Company is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley and India. For more information, visit www.cashedge.com.



SOURCE CashEdge, Inc.

TrialPay Advocating Offer-based Payments that Put Consumers First

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- In the wake of a scandal that revealed unethical practices by many companies in the offer-based payments industry, TrialPay today issued a whitepaper titled, “Doing Right by the Consumer: Going Beyond Compliance.” The paper, which is based upon guidelines that TrialPay has adhered to since the company’s inception 2006, outlines best practices for gaming developers, publishers, advertisers and offer companies to ensure consumer protections and long-term success of the industry at large.



To download a free copy of the whitepaper, visit: http://www.trialpay.com/go/doingright.



Offer-based payments are a method for consumers to pay for online games or to purchase virtual goods within online games. Instead of paying with cash, offer-based payments enable consumers to make their purchase by transacting with a third-party advertiser -- which could include making a purchase or signing-up for a free trial.



Following public revelations that some offer companies displayed ads that mislead consumers with hidden or reoccurring charges, the leading social networks on which these games are played quickly published new sets of guidelines for what they deem acceptable. Since that time, both Facebook and MySpace have banned companies for operating outside of their new regulations.



Offers that are done well and implemented ethically can benefit everyone. Gaming companies generate revenue from customers that may not have been willing to pay directly; advertisers make a sale and potentially gain a new customer; and consumers get their game or virtual goods for free in return for purchasing something they need or want from a reputable advertiser.



To help ensure that the industry returns to its mutually beneficial roots, the whitepaper issued today by TrialPay offers a number of tips gleaned from its years of experience in the software, retail, online services, social apps and casual games markets, including:



5 best practices for ensuring offers are consumer-friendly

7 ways to tell if an offer company is built to deliver consumer satisfaction



“Facebook and MySpace deserve recognition for their new policies and their quick action,” said TrialPay CEO, Alex Rampell. “However, it’s time to raise the bar and go beyond the bare minimum. Offer companies and game publishers must take it upon themselves to focus on higher quality and transparency to expose scammy offers and ensure long-term sustainability.”



About TrialPay



TrialPay introduces e-commerce solutions that increase conversion rates and boost order values for any online seller. TrialPay’s payment and promotions platform uses the efficiencies of the Web to pair online shoppers with ideal offers at every stage of the purchase process. With TrialPay, everyone wins: online stores make more sales from their current traffic, advertisers acquire new customers on a pay-for-performance basis and shoppers get a free product with every purchase.



TrialPay works with name-brand companies across many verticals, including: The Wall Street Journal, Gap, McAfee, Netflix, Match.com and thousands of others. In just two and a half years, TrialPay has provided 40 million registered users with compelling payment options at more than 7,500 online stores.

UChoose Chosen as Top 10 Technology by BTN

Fiserv, Inc., the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Bank Technology News has named UChoose Rewards as one of the "Top 10 Technologies of 2009" in its December Innovators issue. Bank Technology News selected ten companies/technologies for recognition based upon innovation that rose to meet the demands of this year's market conditions.

UChoose Rewards from Fiserv Named Among Top 10 Technologies of 2009 by Bank Technology News



Brookfield, Wis., December 18, 2009 - Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Bank Technology News has named UChoose Rewards(r) as one of the "Top 10 Technologies of 2009" in its December Innovators issue. Bank Technology News selected ten companies/technologies for recognition based upon innovation that rose to meet the demands of this year's market conditions.



UChoose Rewards from Fiserv is a turn-key rewards and loyalty solution that provides debit and credit card reward capabilities for financial institutions. Marketed to institutions of all sizes, UChoose Rewards enables smaller banks and credit unions to compete with the well - established reward programs of the nation's largest banks.



The ability for clients to choose from merchant-funded or issuer-funded programs - or a blend of the two - to meet their specific profitability objectives speaks to the innovation of UChoose Rewards; as does the solution's emphasis on local merchant recruitment, which enables clients to nominate smaller-scale neighborhood merchants to participate along with national chain stores. UChoose Rewards enables financial institutions to build programs based on the wants and needs of their cardholders, with options for debit, credit and opening an account. In addition, financial institutions have the opportunity to give customers the ability to combine points earned for all their bank or credit union accounts.



"UChoose Rewards truly is an innovative solution that enables financial institutions to increase their revenue and improve customer loyalty through a rewards program that is fully customizable to fit their unique business needs," said Andy Brown, vice president of Product Development for EFT Solutions from Fiserv. "Many of our UChoose Rewards clients are already seeing a significant increase in the number of transactions processed each month and average spend per cardholder, per month."



In addition to being recognized as one of the top technologies of 2009 by Bank Technology News, UChoose Rewards from Fiserv was recognized this year by Cards International for being the "Best Innovation in a Loyalty Program." Additionally, Chessie Federal Credit Union, an UChoose Rewards client, was selected for Best Practice recognition by Credit Union Journal for debit card use and card rewards.



About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is the leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, driving innovation that transforms experiences for financial institutions and their customers. Ranked No. 1 on the FinTech 100 survey of top technology partners to the financial services industry, Fiserv celebrates its 25th year in 2009. For more information, visit www.fiserv.com.





# # #

CardinalCommerce Offering NYCE's SafeDebit Altpay

CardinalCommerce to offer NYCE’s SafeDebit solution

Secaucus, N.J., Dec. 14, 2009 -- NYCE® today announced that CardinalCommerce has signed an agreement to offer SafeDebit®, NYCE’s secure online payment solution for Internet purchases, to its merchant clients through Cardinal Centinel. CardinalCommerce Corporation is a leader in enabling authenticated payments, secure transactions and alternative payment brands for both e-commerce and mobile commerce. NYCE Payments Network, LLC, is a leading U.S. electronic payments network and an FIS™ company. FIS is one of the world’s largest providers of banking and payments technology.



CardinalCommerce will add the SafeDebit solution to its Centinel platform, which will enable CardinalCommerce merchants who elect to offer the solution to implement it quickly and efficiently. Centinel allows merchants to implement multiple payment brands with a single installation and reduces the integration efforts associated with activating additional solutions later.



“We chose to be an early adopter of the SafeDebit solution because we believe the solution fills a market need for our clients and fits competitively within the payment offerings we already provide,” said Michael Keresman, CardinalCommerce Chief Executive Officer. “Many merchants desire a debit option with rigorous cardholder authentication, which means our clients benefit from fewer chargebacks and the immediate verification of good funds. And with its combination of security and convenience — the elements consumers have said they are looking for in online retail payments — the SafeDebit system has the potential to boost merchant sales and bring in new transactions.”



Earlier this year, NYCE released results from a study it commissioned from the marketing research firm Analytica Inc. The study surveyed consumers regarding their behaviors and preferences related to Internet purchases. Security and convenience emerged as top considerations that affected whether and how often the respondents shopped online, as well as how they chose to pay.



“CardinalCommerce’s technology will allow merchants to implement the SafeDebit solution quickly and efficiently,” said Steve Rathgaber, president of NYCE. “By offering this solution to Cardinal’s large network of merchants, we are confident that cardholders whose institutions offer the SafeDebit system will easily find a place to shop.”



Using technology provided by Verient, the SafeDebit online payment solution enables consumers to pay for Internet purchases directly from their deposit accounts without disclosing their debit card information online. The system validates shoppers through their online banking credentials, and generates a pseudo card number for one-time use on a merchant’s site.



About CardinalCommerce Corporation

CardinalCommerce Corporation is the global leader in enabling authenticated payments, secure transactions and alternative payment brands for both eCommerce and mobile commerce. Cardinal Centinel®* enables payment brands such as Verified by Visa, MasterCard® SecureCode™, Amazon Payments™, Bill Me Later®, ClickandBuy®, Ebates™, eBillme™, eLayaway™, Google™ Checkout, Green Dot® MoneyPak®, Mazooma™, Moneta®, MyECheck, NACHA® Secure Vault Payments (SVP), NYCE® SafeDebit®, OneTouch Online Purchasing™, PayPal™, paysafecard, RevolutionCard™, SafetyPay™ , TeleCheck®, Ukash®, and more to a network of thousands of merchants and merchant service providers. Our mobile commerce platform, Cardinal MAX™, makes it simple for retailers to sell and market products through the mobile channel. Cardinal's proprietary and easily deployable technology provides consumers, merchants, credit/debit card issuers, and processors the ability to conduct authenticated Internet, wireless and mobile transactions safely and securely. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, with facilities in the United States, Europe, and Africa, Cardinal services a worldwide customer base.



About NYCE

NYCE Payments Network, LLC, an FIS™ company, helps its clients grow with innovative new products and strategic alliances that enable them to capitalize on the efficiency, consumer convenience and security of electronic real-time payments. The NYCE Network provides consumers with secure, real-time access to their money, offering hundreds of thousands of ATM locations and millions of point-of-sale locations nationwide. The NYCE Direct Bill Payment service offers cardholders a convenient way to pay bills online in real-time using their deposit accounts. NYCE Balance Transfer services drive asset growth for consumer credit issuers through automated balance transfer/consolidation payment services. Headquartered in Secaucus, N.J., NYCE Payments Network, LLC, (www.nyce.net ) is a wholly owned subsidiary of FIS (NYSE:FIS).



About FIS

FIS delivers banking and payments technologies to more than 14,000 financial institutions and businesses in over 100 countries worldwide. FIS provides financial institution core processing, and card issuer and transaction processing services, including the NYCE® Network. FIS maintains processing and technology relationships with 40 of the top 50 global banks, including nine of the top 10. FIS is a member of Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500® Index and consistently holds a leading ranking in the annual FinTech 100 rankings. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., FIS employs more than 30,000 on a global basis. FIS is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the “FIS” ticker symbol. For more information about FIS see www.fisglobal.com .



Source: Company press release.

Discover and Pulse Offer Tips at DebitFacts.org

RIVERWOODS, Ill. & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the final dash of the holiday shopping season, consumers should not overlook the need to protect themselves against fraud and identity theft.



Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) and PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks, are urging consumers to take care when using credit and debit cards in order to guard their identities and finances while finishing holiday shopping.



“Credit card fraud can affect anyone, at any time, but consumers are particularly vulnerable around the holidays,” said Jack McCoy, vice president of corporate security for Discover Financial Services. “However, there are a number of tips that smart shoppers can adopt to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to scammers, hackers and credit card thieves.”



“Debit cards are also susceptible to fraudulent activity,” added Cindy Ballard, executive vice president of PULSE. “Between all of the holiday expenses like gifts, travel and entertainment, it can be difficult to keep track of accurate and potentially fraudulent expenses.”



Both McCoy and Ballard agree about the importance of monitoring spending on a regular basis. Whether working from a small or large budget, consumers should keep track of their daily spending by monitoring checking accounts and account statements online. This will keep consumers up to date on credit limits and account balances and give them the opportunity to review accounts for fraudulent activity.



In terms of managing spending, consumers are encouraged to look around the house for gift cards that might have value. If necessary, combine two or three cards to purchase a gift without affecting other money set aside for gift giving.



Plus, look for promotional codes and discounts that many retailers are offering around the holidays. These can provide great deals without breaking the budget.



Many e-retailers offer promotional codes that give discounts at checkout or free shipping. There are also ways to get extra cash while shopping online. Discover Cardmembers can earn Double Cashback Bonus through the end of the year on up to $1,000 in purchases when they use their card to buy gifts anywhere online. Shopdiscover.com, Discover’s online shopping portal, offers cardmembers the ability to earn five to 20 percent Cashback Bonus at participating retailers when making purchases through the site.



These spending and security tips and tools will help keep consumers’ finances safe and secure through the holiday season. For additional information about the difference between debit and credit cards, and debit card usage information, visit www.debitfacts.org.

Visa, FTC and BBB Partner to Educate Consumers about Online Scams

Twenty-nine percent of online U.S. consumers victimized by deceptive marketing

Washington, DC, December 17, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Today Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) joined the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau in a press conference to alert consumers to online deceptive marketing practices associated with free trials with a negative option feature. According to a Visa survey, 29 percent of American consumers have fallen victim to deceptive marketing when unscrupulous e-commerce merchants require them to cancel or opt-out of a recurring charge for future products or services.¹



With free trials with a negative option feature, a company takes a consumer’s failure to cancel as permission to begin charging. While many merchants use this billing process appropriately, others pre-check consent boxes, bury the details of the offers in the terms and conditions and make cancellations or returns difficult, catching consumers in a cycle of recurring charges for products and services they do not want.



“Most e-commerce merchants care about their customers and conduct business fairly, but even a few bad actors can cause consumer distrust,” said William M. Sheedy, Group President, The Americas, Visa Inc. “We want to let consumers know more about the protections they have against these types of practices and how to pursue a reversal of charges if they’ve been charged improperly.”



Visa monitors its payment network to identify merchants with excessive levels of cardholder disputes which may indicate the use of deceptive marketing practices. In fact, merchants who use deceptive marketing practices have up to 20 times as many consumer disputes as the average e-commerce merchant. Visa requires the merchant and its bank to take corrective action to reduce excessive consumer disputes, or risk termination of Visa acceptance privileges.



According to Better Business Bureau, consumers should research the business before they buy. “Online trial offers for acai berry supplements, colon cleanser and detox products, teeth whiteners, free government grants and debt consolidation services may sound risk-free, but BBB has received thousands of complaints from people who learned the hard way that a free trial can cost a lot of money in the end,” said Steve Salter, Vice President of BBBOnline. “Before handing over debit or credit card numbers to any business online, shoppers should always check the company’s Reliability Report® first with BBB.”



Visa, the FTC and BBB offers tips to online shoppers on how to spot deceptive free trial offers and deceptive negative option features, and how to deal with unauthorized charges:

• Take time to read and understand all terms and conditions, so a free trial doesn’t turn into a costly purchase you didn’t intend to make.


• Pay particular attention to any pre-checked boxes before you submit your payment card information for an order. Failing to un-check the boxes may bind you to terms and conditions you’re not interested in.


• Review card statements when you get them for any unauthorized charges, and notify the card issuer promptly of any unusual activity or unauthorized charges.


• Try to resolve the situation with the merchant. If you’re unsuccessful, contact the card issuer immediately to dispute the charge.

David Vladeck, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection said, "Online shoppers: If you see charges on your statement or debits that you didn't authorize, fight it. Start by contacting the merchant. If you are unable to contact the merchant or they can't or won't help, call your card issuer and then file a complaint with the FTC. You can do that online at ftc.gov or by phone at 1-877-FTC-HELP."

The FTC has outlined five principles regarding the appropriate use of negative options, which call for:

• Disclosing material terms in an understandable manner, without making them unnecessarily long or inconsistent;


• Making the disclosures clear and conspicuous by placing them where consumers are likely to look on Web pages, by labeling disclosures (and links to them) to indicate their importance and relevance, and by using easy-to-read fonts and colors;


• Disclosing the offer’s material terms before the consumer incurs a financial obligation;


• Getting consumers’ affirmative consent to the offer by, for example, having them click “I Agree” And without relying on pre-checked boxes;


• Not impeding the effective operation of promised cancellation procedures and honoring cancellation requests that comply with such procedures.

Consumers who think they’ve been victims of deceptive marketing and who haven’t been able to resolve the issue directly with the merchant should call their card issuer to dispute the charge. They also may report their experiences to the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint or their local BBB at www.bbb.org. More information is available at www.visa.com/negativeoption.

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Note to Editors: Media information and materials can be found at www.visa.com/dmp. Consumer tips and information are at www.visa.com/negativeoption.

Radiant Systems Calls for Industry to Unite Against Data Thieves

Company announces creation of new leadership position in the fight against credit card criminals





ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Radiant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RADS) today issued a new challenge to the industry to come together to dramatically improve data security in the transaction-processing industry.



“Our vision is to encourage all involved in transaction processing to move from a mindset of independent compliance to one of collaborative security that will greatly reduce the risk of data theft,” said John Heyman, chief executive officer at Radiant Systems. “We believe the current data security blueprint in the payments industry is designed with many constraints in mind and therefore is not able to go far enough.”



Today, payment application technology providers have a narrowly defined requirement to develop secure payment applications, which is only a small piece of protecting merchants and the consumer data they handle. Improving the security of data requires many companies throughout the transaction process to work together on a united front. Radiant is committed to taking an industry-leading stand against criminal activity and is inviting everyone in the industry to participate.



Under current industry guidelines, card issuers, banks, processors, network providers, merchants and point-of-sale vendors all play a role in processing each credit or debit card transaction. Businesses that support this transaction process have evolved independently over the past 40 years. By working together, these businesses can more tightly integrate the payment solution to protect consumers, resulting in significantly reduced risk for retailers and restaurants.



“We have expanded the responsibilities of Jimmy Fortuna, vice president of product development for the hospitality division at Radiant Systems, to now include industry data security,” added Heyman. Fortuna brings 10 years of industry experience to this role. ”Jimmy will work inside and outside the walls of our company to fight for increased levels of data security in the retail and restaurant industries.”



Radiant is investing in these activities to help define new standards across the payment process, educate businesses on how to reduce theft by meeting the current 12-step Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirement process, and build new technologies outside its POS software to combat theft.



“We have been a leader in meeting payment application requirements, and we applaud the standards set forth by the Payment Card Industry, as well as the mission of newly established organizations such as the Secure POS Vendor Alliance,” Fortuna said. “But using a secure payment application is only part of the 12 steps for a business to be fully compliant with the PCI DSS requirements. And, being fully compliant with this standard does not eliminate the risk of criminals stealing card data from merchants, so we want to do more.”



Radiant Systems’ third generation of Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA DSS) validated POS platforms is currently completing validation by Coalfire Systems, Inc., a leading IT audit and compliance firm. “Over the past year, we have seen a dramatic increase in the sophistication of attacks on payment transactions that look for the gaps between PA DSS-validated payment applications and PCI DSS-compliant network infrastructure,” said Rick Dakin, president of Coalfire. “Radiant Systems’ leadership, a catalyst for increased collaboration efforts between merchants, infrastructure solution vendors and POS platform developers, will be essential to close the gaps that put the entire transaction process at risk.”



“The goal is simple – we want to reduce theft, even though we recognize it is impossible to completely eliminate,” added Heyman. “Even banks with the best vaults can still be robbed.”



“Every consumer deserves to be protected - whether or not they are in a restaurant or shop that uses our technology. We are calling on all companies involved in the card payment process, including our competitors, to work together in the fight to stamp out theft of sensitive data.”



About Radiant Systems, Inc.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Radiant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RADS) is a global provider of innovative technology to the hospitality and retail industries. For more than two decades, Radiant's point of sale hardware and software solutions have helped to redefine the consumer experience in more than 100,000 restaurants, retail stores, stadiums, parks, arenas, cinemas, convenience stores, fuel centers and other customer-service venues. Radiant has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.radiantsystems.com.

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