Keeping track of The Enemy

SIR – I was extremely interested to read Chris Brogan’s comments in your regular section by The Security Institute (‘Is it really a load of old rubbish?’, SMT, June 2005, pp43-44 and ‘Human Rights and Fair Trials’, SMT, July 2005, pp 35-36), and also those of Stephen Meredith (‘Authentication: fighting the fraudsters’, Secure IT, SMT, July 2005, p43).

Fighting fraud is an ongoing battle against a persistent and migratory enemy. That being the case, it would be dangerous to think that one measure alone can cure it. It is up to individuals as well as companies at all stages of the process to tighten up procedures.

Consumers also need to realise that card fraud is not a ‘victimless’ offence. On the contrary. The proceeds gained from this form of criminality frequently fund other types of insidious crime – including drug trafficking and terrorism – which are obviously to the detriment of us all.

While the recent research carried out by Unisys identifies that the real challenge and opportunity is for banks to better combat fraud before it happens by deploying enhanced detection technology, this is only half of the story. Much investment in the past decade has been spent focusing on technology-based prevention and detection systems. However, when the checkout operator fails to ask for a PIN, or a consumer falls for an easy-to-spot phishing scam, the fact remains that people are the weakest link in the chain.

We would also do well to remember that much fraud is committed ‘on the inside’, whereupon criminal elements are at work within banks and call centres. Fighting computer crime is an ongoing battle in which everyone has a role to play. Responsibility for this needs to be shared by all. It cannot simply be pushed back onto the banks and finance houses.