Welcome
Welcome to the 7th annual Cards and Payments Fraud conference. I am delighted to be chairing this event once again. If you have already registered for the event I look forward to meeting you personally during the conference, but if you are still making up your mind whether to attend (or trying to find the budget!) I strongly encourage you to register as soon as possible as I believe this conference to be among the best of its type in Europe, if not beyond – plus if you register before 15th January there’s 10% discount.
Card and payment fraud by its very nature is dynamic, so it is vital that events like this attract people who are at the forefront of the fight against fraud in our industry and deeply involved in the subject. I refer not only to the speakers, who are chosen very carefully and are without doubt industry experts, but also the audience, although I prefer the term ‘participants’.
I have chaired all but one of the previous conferences and they have always been lively and fun affairs. It is not uncommon for people to have differing opinions on root causes and drivers of particular fraud types so we are hardly likely to all agree on the best solutions. This is where it starts to get tricky because some problems have been with us for a while, whilst some are still evolving.
Traditional ‘card’ fraud classifications (types) have been around for years and whilst the industry has introduced various anti-fraud initiatives, I am not sure that the way we measure fraud has kept up. This is a debate in itself. However, I do not know what, if any, discussion is taking place within bank or card scheme circles to revise and refresh these key metrics, which should form the basis of industry fraud strategies. Also (and I stand to be corrected, but) I still believe that no data are collected or reported by the banks in respect of the amount written off by retailers in respect of all Card Not Present fraud (including the exploding e-commerce sector). I personally believe these are two key areas where the industry should focus and they are bound to be raised during the course of this conference. I am sure we will gain some insight to the problems and issues regarding my pet subjects and much, much more.
The debate about how we tackle fraud at national and international level is even more relevant today and I am looking forward to the panel discussion on these issues.
I know the conference organizers have constructed a topical and relevant agenda and gathered an impressive cast of speakers to address the issues which confront our industry. I am sure you will find the subject matter pertinent and stimulating and I will do my best to try and create a supportive and participative environment to ensure that we get full value from the event through lively and challenging debate.
Phil Curtis
Vice President
First Data Merchant Solutions
