NCJ Number
173742
Date Published
1998
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This report describes strategies to prevent check and credit card fraud, assesses their effectiveness and attempts to anticipate future risks and how to address them.
Abstract
A 1991 study of credit, debit and check card fraud made prevention recommendations in several areas, including: (1) Applications for cards (merge data sets for the industry; initiate tighter controls over requests to redirect mail); (2) Card and check theft (continue crime pattern analysis to identify insecure addresses; card awareness campaigns among the public and among business people); (3) Card misuse (allow customers to select their own Personal Identification Numbers; introduce laser-engraved Payment Authorization Cards with photographs; improve staff training; tighten controls over merchants by acquirers); (4) Check misuse (improve security for business checks with holograms and other measures; tighten controls on opening accounts and accepting countersigned third-party checks); and (5) Policing changes (improve handwriting examination facilities; regionalize check squads and fraud intelligence; change credit card voucher system). The report describes in detail these and other measures, some of which have already been implemented. Notes, tables, references