Although this is not the type of blog we enjoy writing, it
gives certain insight on how important identity
verification and authentication is for online business. Just this past
week, a member of our marketing team was hit with online identity theft after
losing her wallet that contained her drivers license and debit card. Why was
this particular case so shocking? Our team member realized her debit card had
landed in the wrong hands when she received an invoice from a major online
retailer for almost $1,000 worth of charges she never made. This came as quite
a shock because this retailer is not only one of the largest online, but one of
the most trusted.
After the thief had her information, all they had to do was
create a new account online and enter in her information. As she investigated
the case more, she found that there were discrepancies between her debit card
billing address and the one the thief used. After speaking to a representative
from the online retailer they ensured that there was no way the thief could
have made charges without having the correct billing address. Being the
detective she is, our team member tested this theory and made a fake purchase
on her new card and entered in a different billing address. Sure enough, the
transaction went through.
While our team member is still in the process of getting
this case of identity theft closed, we couldnt help but questions this online
retailers fraud
prevention solutions (or lack there of). How could a major online retailer
let it be that easy to steal from someone else? Online businesses must protect
their consumers by implementing identify
verification and authentication into their platforms. Whether its a check
out, check account, or login function – anytime personal information is
required online; companies must implement a means of fraud prevention to
protect their reputation and their consumers.
[Contributed by EVS Marketing]
