The post-cash economy has been a popular sci-fi fixture for decades. People swiping cards or mobile devices to pay for everything they consume daily seemed like a far-off future. However, the cashless economy is no longer the stuff of science fiction…it may be just around the corner.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of a totally-digital economy, and what is already being done to make it a reality.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a reliable, widely-used tool that could help stop online fraud and protect your identity online? Well, 3-D Secure technology might be just what you’re looking for.
This secure checkout technology was first introduced more than a decade ago by Visa under the branded Verified by Visa name. Since then, Mastercard has also rolled out their own Mastercard Securecode® tool using the same platform, and other card brands including American Express and Union Pay have done the same.
Although 3-D Secure technology has been around for years, it remains largely unknown to consumers. Let’s take a look at the tool, and see how it can help protect you.
You’re probably familiar with a lot of the usual information you need to submit to make a purchase online. Billing address, card number, expiration date…and oftentimes, an extra number printed on the card.
This number is called the card security code, or CSC It is a three-digit sequence printed on the back of all Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards; for American Express, the code is a four-digit number printed on the card front.
The CSC fills the same role for all card brands: help stop fraud. However, a new twist on that approach promises to take the CSC concept to the next level.
Data security: it’s a common source of anxiety for people these days. However, a new European Union policy called the General Data Protection Regulation—or GDPR—aims to make data less of a concern for you. Read more →
It seems like every year is a bad one for online fraud; for example, the Target breach back in 2013 fundamentally changed how the world responded to data breaches. But 2017 was truly a year of headlines for fraud. Read more →
Monarch, Rayani, Low Cost Holidays…these three big names vanished from the travel industry since late 2016. Thousands of travelers have been left stranded in each case, while thousands more find their pre-booked travel plans stuck in limbo. Read more →
When it comes to holiday shopping, it’s very clear that the internet is not just a tool for browsing and filling in those wish lists.
2017 marks the first year in history that Americans plan to do more holiday shopping online than in-store. A recent Deloitte survey found that we will spend roughly 51% of our gift budget this year with online retailers, compared to just 42% at brick-and-mortar stores. It’s not hard to understand why; after all, why fight the crowds when you can shop from convenience of your living room? Not to mention that online shopping usually means saving a bit compared to in-store prices. Read more →
Even in our fast-moving news cycle, some stories leave an impact simply because of how many people were affected.
The Equifax security hack became one of the hottest news stories of 2017 after the company announced the breach in early September. There’s good reason for that: the personal data of more than 145 million Americans—nearly half the country’s entire population—was compromised in the attack. Read more →
Your credit score can impact your life in some very profound ways. A poor credit score may prevent you from opening a credit card, buying a car, renting a home, and may even limit your educational or career plans.
Roughly 68 million adults in the US—a third of the entire scorable population—have a bad credit score (anything below 601). This massive reserve of consumers gave rise to a new industry in recent years: the credit repair business. But, can credit repair companies really deliver what they promise? Read more →
Luring consumers into giving up sensitive information—a practice commonly known as phishing—is one of the most common consumer-facing fraud tactics.
These attacks cost US consumers roughly $500 million each year. So, what can you do to avoid becoming a victim? Learn to identify the risks and how to best protect yourself. Read more →
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