Fraud & Security

The news that the major payment card networks will implement a standardized buy button later this year may have stirred hopes among issuers, merchants, and acquirers that the longstanding problems of rising e-commerce fraud and inconsistent checkout flows will finally be addressed. But already cautionary notes are emerging to indicate …

Step Mobile Inc., a startup financial-services firm focusing on teens, raised $22.5 million in a Series A funding round led by payment processor Stripe Inc. Nearly 51% of retailers surveyed for the latest annual loss-prevention and security report from the National Retail Federation said risks and threats from return fraud, …

The news this week that Square Inc. had misdirected consumers’ digital receipts to the wrong people has prompted some observers to point to new authentication technology as a solution. An emerging option some are zeroing in on is Apple Inc.’s Sign in with Apple, which the company unveiled Monday and …

A data-security services firm says it has spotted approximately 200,000 payment card numbers in online fraudster marketplaces stolen from a collections firm serving diagnostic laboratories, but it expects more to come up for sale later. Secaucus, N.J.-based Quest Diagnostics Inc. reported Monday that financial and other data on some 11.9 …

The Western Union Co. said it will enable Visa Inc.’s Visa Direct real-time push-payment service. The move follows the remittance-processing company’s announcement in late 2017 that it would adopt Mastercard Inc.’s rival service, Mastercard Send. Merchant processor VizyPay launched a program called Cash Discount 2.0, which calls for merchants to …

Most economic activity with Bitcoin remains on trading exchanges, but lately there is some evidence volume at merchants may be picking up. Bitcoin’s total merchant volume, in dollar terms, was $42.8 million in the week ended May 19, according to the latest figures from Chainalysis Inc., a New York City-based …

PayFi, which provides a banking platform, said it will offer real-time payments services from The Clearing House Payments Co. LLC to community banks. Most U.S. consumers—38%—are likely to use a credit card for online subscription payments, finds a report from GoCardless, a recurring-payments company. Thirty-four percent choose a debit card, …

For decades, PIN entry has been restricted to specialized hardware devices, such as PIN pads on ATMs and at the point of sale. On Monday, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based software company headed by a former Visa Inc. executive said it will start offering to retailers in Japan its technology for …

i3 Verticals Inc. completed its $52.7 million acquisition of Pace Payment Systems Inc. Pace specializes in selling payments services in the public and education sectors. Avis Car Rental, a unit of Avis Budget Group Inc., launched a split-payment feature in its mobile app. Called Split My Bill, the feature enables …

As New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority inaugurates contactless payment for fares Friday, major card brands are intensely marketing the tap-and-pay service. Mastercard Inc. announced its Fareback Friday program to reward cardholders for paying for their New York subway rides with a contactless Mastercard product. Consumers may be able to get …