Electronic Payments

Leading figures call for united stand against online criminals

SecureTrading, the UK’s leading independent internet payment service provider, today brought together a distinguished group of key industry and public sector figures to draw attention to the disappointing lack of action being taken to protect consumers and businesses from Internet fraud. The occasion was a call to action for Government, law enforcement agencies, the banking and credit cards sectors, and online payment services providers to work together and lead the fight against criminals operating online.

The event, including an address from Rt. Hon. David Blunkett MP, provided a rare opportunity to hear the views of those involved in combating Internet crime – which cost industry £137 million in the UK last year – and marked the launch of a new suite of counter-fraud tools which will provide the highest level of protection for UK businesses operating online and their customers.

The Rt. Hon. David Blunkett MP spoke about the escalation of Internet fraud both in the UK and globally and called for greater co-operation: “If we don’t make a stand now this issue is liable to spiral out of control and will seriously damage the industry. Countering this type of fraud requires collaboration between the various participants in online retailing including the IMRG and payment services providers such as SecureTrading, working in close co-operation with law enforcement organisations around the world, such as the Metropolitan Police Service and the Serious Organised Crime Agency here in the UK.”

Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie of the Metropolitan Police added her voice to the debate when she discussed the impending law enforcement response to online crime and outlined the existing threats and what might come next, whilst James Roper CEO of Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) offered an industry perspective including the latest trading figures and the findings of recent fraud-related research.                                                                                                         
Jon Prideaux, Deputy CEO of SecureTrading, completed the line-up commenting on the growing threat of online crime and stated that it was the company’s responsibility to take a stand: “As an industry leader we must work closely with private and public sector organisations to do everything possible to stamp out online fraud, ultimately reducing crime and increasing consumer confidence in the Internet. These criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated to overcome existing measures, so in response, we have introduced the most comprehensive range of counter-fraud and security services and made sure they are affordable and accessible to all.”

The event was attended by nearly 100 industry leaders and concluded with a lively Q&A session which was chaired by John Lyons, Group Security Advisor, UC.