Fraud is winning in the fight against cybercrime. Why? Because financial institutions continue to rely on ineffective technology and controls, says fraud analyst Tom Wills says.
"Everyone knows it is happening, but no one is capable of stopping the proliferation of these cyberattacks," says Jim Payne of Choice Escrow and Land Title LLC, a victim of corporate account takeover.
Account takeovers are up, but losses are down. Doug Johnson of the ABA says that's because banks and their customers are catching and blocking suspect ACH transactions before they drains corporate accounts.
Nessa Feddis of the ABA says increased investments in technology at the bank and consumer levels have fueled confidence in online banking. "I think the reason you see an uptick in use here is because the channel is more secure."
"What banks need to be aware of is that much of this fraud is occurring on the consumer and business-customer side, and not all of them will invest in technology that catches these attacks," says Phil Blank of Javelin Strategy & Research.
In an ironic twist, a new phishing scheme, purporting to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., actually claims to offer assistance with ACH and wire fraud, but instead delivers malware that could enable fraud.
More pressure from the FFIEC to increase online security authentication practices can be leveraged with interchange incentives being offered by the Fed for debit- fraud-prevention investments mandated by the Durbin amendment, and institutions should take advantage.
Doug Johnson of the ABA and FS-ISAC says banks and commercial customers are improving efforts to catch and thwart incidents of corporate account takeover, a sign that the industry is moving in a positive payments direction.
The bright spot is that 36 percent of the takeover incidents reported in 2010 were stopped before fraudulent funds transfers were approved. That's an improvement from 2009, when only 20 percent were thwarted.
Banks and commercial customers are more often working together, enabling them to catch and stop fraudulent requests for funds transfers before commercial accounts are drained.
"We face a broad threat ... and each consumer has to understand that their part in protecting both their own finances and the financial infrastructure, together, is a very large part," says Ian Harper, Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
Small businesses have room to improve when it comes to fraud prevention. And according to a recent study commissioned by TD Bank, a lack of understanding and apathy are challenges that need to be overcome.
A new twist in the ongoing online security battle between banks and their commercial customers was reported this week after a corporate account in Omaha, Neb., was hit with thousands in fraudulent ACH transactions.
Our website uses cookies. Cookies enable us to provide the best experience possible and help us understand how visitors use our website. By browsing inforisktoday.co.uk, you agree to our use of cookies.