10 Tipping Points for the Payments Industry Part 3 (Editor's Note: In its November-December 2006 issue, Digital Transactions magazine began a series of special analytical reports concerning the 10 most critical issues now confronting banks, processors, and merchants as they engage in handling electronic transactions. Written by noted researcher and …

The sudden proliferation of Web sites hosting phishing attacks that began in October cooled only slightly in November, as online fraudsters continue to create multiple sub-domains to foil anti-phishing filters. The number of unique phishing sites came to 37,439, essentially flat with the 37,444 reported for October, according to the …

In a development that represents one of the largest projects so far to replace cash for payment at on-street parking meters, the city of Detroit on Tuesday started accepting credit and debit cards at 175 new multispace meters. The city expects the meters, each of which controls up to 10 …

The concept of point-of-sale electronic payments without a standalone card reader took another step forward this week when leading processor First Data Corp. introduced a new personal computer-based service called First Data POS Value Exchange. Aimed mostly at single-location merchants with up to five checkout lanes, the service uses hardware …

Since its launch last April, PayPal Inc.'s m-commerce service, PayPal Mobile, has built an attractive portfolio of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and brands that want to sell direct to consumers. The list includes Fox Home Entertainment (DVDs), Sony BMG (CDs), NBC/Bravo (television-show merchandise), and the National Basketball Association (team- and …

Visa USA has signed up an undisclosed number of member financial institutions to use a new m-commerce technology platform the card network announced this week that ties together a wide range of functions, including contactless payment, over-the-air personalization (OTA), couponing, mobile banking, Internet payment, and person-to-person (P2P) funds transfers. A …

The race to bring online banking and bill-payment services to users' handsets is getting more intense. Most recently, Chantilly, Va.-based Online Resources Corp. said it is entering mobile banking by partnering with Access Softek Inc., a Berkeley, Calif.-based developer of financial services software. The application uses Access Softek's OFX (open …

Payment-terminal manufacturer Hypercom Corp. on Thursday announced that it has bought the assets and technology of TPI Software LLC, a move that positions Hypercom to be a major player in the growing personal computer-based point-of-sale payments market. Founded in 2001, TPI Software specializes in applications that integrate payment functions with …

RSA Security Inc. on Wednesday announced its analysts had discovered a powerful new phishing tool fraudsters are selling via online forums and using to hoodwink consumers. The tool, which RSA calls a “universal man-in-the-middle phishing kit,” allows phishers to set up a URL that can interact in real time with …

The primary reason contactless payments are gaining favor with merchants has to do with speedier transactions and other point-of-sale efficiencies, while retailers installing or planning to install the technology show little concern about its security, according to a recent survey of retail companies. Some 58% of 160 respondents to the …