Autumn 2007

Which towns and cities account for the highest levels of 'card not present' fraud in the UK? London leads, as you would expect, and Manchester comes second, but the runners-up might surprise you; they are Coventry, Kilmarnock and Bristol, according to a company called Early Warning. Brighton, Leicester, Leeds, Glasgow and Nottingham complete its 'top ten' locations.

The company runs the CardAware fraud detection system, which uses a live database of known card crime to help protect online traders and assist prosecutions, and says its data can actually pinpoint local areas where card crime is most intense.

This kind of analysis suggests SE18, including parts of Thamesmead on London's south-eastern fringes, is probably the nation's worst hotspot. Outside London, it says, Northampton and Stockport have moved from 'amber' to 'red' status in the past year.

In addition to its full database lookup system, the company provides a free online postcode risk assessment tool, which is available to internet traders via the web site, www.early-warning.org.uk.

l Payment card companies 'need to embrace PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) as the single measure of data security standards across the industry instead of focusing their attentions on individual projects.'

So said Marino Zini, head of managed services at web hosting company Claranet, at a seminar this summer. However, while recognising PCI DSS as 'an excellent weapon in the fight against online fraud to date', Paul Simms of fraud screening specialist 3rd Man said it was 'not the solution to card crime', and argued that proper fraud screening was the only real solution.