SHOULD ONLINE RETAILERS PRIORITISE CONSUMER CONVENIENCE OR THEIR SECURITY?

“‘Renée Frappier, director of marketing for PacNet Services’”

America’s online retailers switch to EMV was intended to make card payments safer for consumers.

“‘Renée Frappier, director of marketing for PacNet Services’”

The new ruling helped secure transactions at brick-and-mortar locations, but a survey by online fraud prevention company Trustev found that online fraud is increasing, PYMNTS.com reported. In fact, the rate of such claims is rising higher than it was before EMV-compliant cards and point-of-sale systems became mandatory.

“With the EMV adoption, what has happened in other countries – Australia, Canada, the U.K. – has been a big rise in online fraud,” Trustev CMO Rurik Bradbury told PYMNTS.com. “So what happened after EMV came in countries? Online fraud increased by 80 to 100 percent in the three-year period following.”

Why is Internet retail fraud increasing so quickly? Initially, POS systems that obtained card information with a simple swipe were incredibly easy for fraudsters to take advantage of. The introduction of chip cards made these systems much harder to hack, so fraudsters turned to the next easiest source of money: the Internet.

Consumers prioritise convenience, but should businesses?
The Trustev survey was conducted to understand how consumers have adapted to these new rules. It found that only 1 percent of participants use mobile payments – generally considered the most secure method. Meanwhile, nearly 61 percent like to use debit cards and 29 percent prefer credit.

Despite the fact that mobile payments are supposedly more secure than other options, consumers still prefer to use their cards when making online payments. Bradbury speculated this is because they don’t feel they have much to lose if their payment information gets compromised. Instead, businesses or card companies are liable in the event of a data breach.

“It’s conditioned consumers to place convenience far ahead of security and created this strange ecosystem where consumers don’t do very much to stay secure, because they don’t have very much skin in the game,” Bradbury said to the website.

This notion of convenience over security extends beyond just card data. According to CNBC, security analysts identified poor passwords as one of 2015’s top five cyber risks. When these passwords are used to access a customer’s account with an online store, the amount of information that can be compromised can cause incredible damage for a business. It also increases frustration on the customer’s end.

Prioritising security
It’s unrealistic to suddenly expect consumers to switch to more cumbersome security methods. This is why businesses must do all they can to take online safety measures on their own. One way to prioritise safety is to select a separate payment processing company to handle customer information. This company should be in compliance with standards set by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.

A reputable processor will do all it can to keep payment data secure, reducing a business’s risk of a breach. Since it seems consumers aren’t likely to increase safety measures on their own just yet, it’s up to retailers to prevent payment fraud at all costs.

“‘Renée Frappier, director of marketing for PacNet Services’”

America’s online retailers switch to EMV was intended to make card payments safer for consumers.

“‘Renée Frappier, director of marketing for PacNet Services’”

The new ruling helped secure transactions at brick-and-mortar locations, but a survey by online fraud prevention company Trustev found that online fraud is increasing, PYMNTS.com reported. In fact, the rate of such claims is rising higher than it was before EMV-compliant cards and point-of-sale systems became mandatory.

“With the EMV adoption, what has happened in other countries – Australia, Canada, the U.K. – has been a big rise in online fraud,” Trustev CMO Rurik Bradbury told PYMNTS.com. “So what happened after EMV came in countries? Online fraud increased by 80 to 100 percent in the three-year period following.”

Why is Internet retail fraud increasing so quickly? Initially, POS systems that obtained card information with a simple swipe were incredibly easy for fraudsters to take advantage of. The introduction of chip cards made these systems much harder to hack, so fraudsters turned to the next easiest source of money: the Internet.

Consumers prioritise convenience, but should businesses?
The Trustev survey was conducted to understand how consumers have adapted to these new rules. It found that only 1 percent of participants use mobile payments – generally considered the most secure method. Meanwhile, nearly 61 percent like to use debit cards and 29 percent prefer credit.

Despite the fact that mobile payments are supposedly more secure than other options, consumers still prefer to use their cards when making online payments. Bradbury speculated this is because they don’t feel they have much to lose if their payment information gets compromised. Instead, businesses or card companies are liable in the event of a data breach.

“It’s conditioned consumers to place convenience far ahead of security and created this strange ecosystem where consumers don’t do very much to stay secure, because they don’t have very much skin in the game,” Bradbury said to the website.

This notion of convenience over security extends beyond just card data. According to CNBC, security analysts identified poor passwords as one of 2015’s top five cyber risks. When these passwords are used to access a customer’s account with an online store, the amount of information that can be compromised can cause incredible damage for a business. It also increases frustration on the customer’s end.

Prioritising security
It’s unrealistic to suddenly expect consumers to switch to more cumbersome security methods. This is why businesses must do all they can to take online safety measures on their own. One way to prioritise safety is to select a separate payment processing company to handle customer information. This company should be in compliance with standards set by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.

A reputable processor will do all it can to keep payment data secure, reducing a business’s risk of a breach. Since it seems consumers aren’t likely to increase safety measures on their own just yet, it’s up to retailers to prevent payment fraud at all costs.