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The number of credit and debit cards compromised in data breaches hit 64.4 million in 2014, up 38% from 46.6 million in 2013, according to preliminary figures from the Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego-based non-profit that tracks breaches. Some 133 of 2014’s breaches involved payment cards, up 39% …
Read More »Google Becomes Latest Major Player to Sue Card Networks After Settlement Opt-Out
Two days before Christmas, Google Inc. quietly filed a federal lawsuit against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., alleging the card networks violated antitrust law by setting “supracompetitive” interchange rates from 2004 to 2012. The unusually sparse, three-page suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, asks …
Read More »Small Banks on the Hook for $90 Million in Home Depot Breach; Staples Updates Breach News
Small banks spent $90 million to reissue 7.5 million credit and debit cards in the wake of a payment-card data breach at The Home Depot Inc., says the Independent Community Bankers of America association, which has more than 6,500 member banks. First publicly known in September the Home Depot …
Read More »Digital Card Device WocketWallet Shipping by the End of the Year
Consumers looking for a way to transform their credit, debit, and loyalty cards into electronic versions soon will have a new option with the impending shipment of the WocketWallet. Developed by Shelton, Conn.-based Nxt-ID Inc., Wocket enables consumers to scan information from their payment cards, and other commerce cards, …
Read More »United To Use iPhones as Payment Terminals on Flights
United Airlines is equipping more than 23,000 flight attendants with Apple Inc.’s iPhone 6 Plus smart phone to be used as a payment-acceptance device on flights. Distribution of the devices is expected to begin in the second quarter. United says the devices will be able to handle most onboard …
Read More »MasterCard Makes an Interactive Card Investment
MasterCard Inc. said Monday it is taking a two-pronged approach to developing interactive payment cards with an investment in Dynamics Inc., a maker of interactive payment cards, and a deal to commercialize the devices. Pittsburgh-based Dynamics makes payment cards that have features such as buttons, display and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Consumers can …
Read More »Parking Garage Operator Says Card Readers at 17 Locations Were Hacked
Parking-garage operator SP Plus Corp. says card readers at 17 garages it operates were hacked this fall, with one breach extending back to April. Chicago-based SP Plus says the company that provides and maintains the payment card systems in the 17 garages—10 are in Chicago, three in Evanston, Ill., …
Read More »Cyber Monday Online Sales up Nearly 9% As Apple Continues to Outpace Android
Well into the annual Cyber Monday shopping frenzy, online sales are up nearly 9% compared to last year, while mobile devices are driving more traffic and sales, continuing a trend established on Thanksgiving and on Black Friday. That’s according to IBM Corp.’s Digital Analytics service, which is reporting periodically on …
Read More »Gift Cards Top Holiday Wish Lists, With Total Spending Estimated at $31.74 Billion
Consumers want gift cards this holiday season, but are reluctant to ask for them, finds a survey from CashStar Inc., a Portland, Maine-based company that specializes in e-coupons and digital gift cards. Meanwhile the National Retail Federation forecasts that consumers will spend $31.74 billion on gift cards this holiday …
Read More »Intuit Adds Cloud POS to QuickBooks Online In a Tie-Up With Revel Systems
With its clients going increasingly mobile, Intuit Inc. knew it needed a point-of-sale payments solution for its cloud-based QuickBooks Online accounting product. This week, it announced it had found one, and unlike most payments products it has introduced in the past, this one wasn’t homegrown. Intuit recruited Revel Systems Inc., …
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