Category Archives: Security

Privus closes funding round led by Silicon Valley and New York-based Rubicon Venture Capital and by a highly regarded Toronto based investment firm

ZUG, Switzerland, 10-Oct-2018 — /EPR FINANCIAL NEWS/ — Privus announced today that it has closed a funding round led by Silicon Valley and New York-based Rubicon Venture Capital and by a highly regarded, Toronto based investment firm with a successful track record in business building and technology investment. The $635,000 raised also includes funding from existing investors and management and will be used to extend Privus’s enterprise software portfolio and commercial footprint, as well as to meet growing demand for its SecurLine Cloud and TurnKey solutions, in line with the company’s government and corporate focus.

SecurLine, Privus’s flagship solution, employs open-source, state-of-the-art, peer-to-peer encryption to ensure the security, privacy and quality of communications between users. SecurLine is offered on an annual, prepaid basis for unlimited use as a cloud-based application, and as a tailored, on-premise solution, allowing clients to manage their own private network. SecurLine is available for download directly from the App Store or Google Play.

“We are focused on privacy first and foremost and have developed the company and its products on that basis. That investors of the calibre of Rubicon have joined Privus is a testament to the quality of our products and to our long-term vision,” stated Henrique Corrêa da Silva, Founder and CEO of Privus. Luis Lavradio, Founder and CFO added, “I am delighted with the success of this round and that we have been able to add two new investors that complement and strengthen an already exceptional shareholder base. They will both actively reinforce our ability to open new markets and grow our business.”

Andrew Romans, General Partner of Rubicon Venture Capital said, “I was introduced to Privus by an old friend as a blockchain-based start-up, with strong existing technology that is hard to replicate and is already generating meaningful enterprise revenue that we see growing very quickly. At Rubicon we share Privus’s vision that communications should be private and free from interference or geofencing, a vision that also makes great business sense. We use SecurLine on a daily basis to ensure our business and personal calls are kept private, and look forward to the roll out of the Privum network, which will allow anyone to access the Internet privately and securely, regardless of where they happen to be. On the treasure map of blockchain and cyber-security start-ups we place a large X on Privus.”

The long-term orientation of the Canadian principal investment firm, as well as its extensive global business network, will underpin Privus’s ability to focus on building a world-class enterprise platform with privacy and digital security at its core, and consolidate its position as a global reference in privacy and digital security.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

SecBI CEO Gilad Peleg: Traditional security means are simply insufficient in dealing with advanced threats

Tel Aviv, Israel and Rome, Italy, Sep-27-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — SecBI, a leading developer of advanced cybersecurity threat detection solutions, and Innovery, a leading ICT services provider and software developer, today announced a partnership for distributing SecBI products in Italy and Spain.

“Traditional security means are simply insufficient in dealing with advanced threats, leading to an average dwell time of 100 days before the attack is identified,” said Gilad Peleg, CEO of SecBI. “With SecBI, we can drastically reduce this time span to hours and provide the analyst with early and accurate detection with no false alerts. We are delighted to partner with Innovery, who have the expertise and reach to promote SecBI’s solution to the Italian and Spanish customers who need it.”

“In order to be always ahead of our competitors and offer the best possible services, Innovery invests a lot in new technologies,” said Mr. Gianvittorio Abate, CEO and co-founder, Innovery. “Hence our collaboration with SecBI, a company that we feel has the potential for a great future in the security arena.”

SecBI’s software provides early and accurate detection of advanced cyber threats, including those that are hidden from other systems. By providing full-scope analysis of threats — including all involved users, devices, domains, IPs, C&C servers, drop points and more — SecBI makes mitigation fast and accurate.

Innovera and SecBI will present SecBI’s solution at Cybertech Europe 2017, taking place on September 26-27 at Roma Convention Center – La Nuvola.

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Nomura Holdings, Inc. Board of Directors approved resolution to set up share buyback program

Retail net revenue increased 10 percent quarter on quarter to 117.9 billion yen, representing a decline of 1 percent year on year. Income before income taxes rose 23 percent quarter on quarter but declined 3 percent year on year to 38.9 billion yen.

Net inflows of cash and securities of 485 billion yen combined with market factors to push up Retail client assets to a record 99.3 trillion yen at the end of September.

Total sales increased by 20 percent compared to last quarter, driven by robust sales of investment trusts and discretionary investments. A renewed focus on providing solutions that meet each client’s individual needs through financial consulting seminars and one-on-one meetings led to higher net inflows into discretionary investments and investment trusts. This resulted in an expansion of recurring revenue in the second quarter. Sales of annuities and other insurance products also remained strong.

Asset Management net revenue was 21.7 billion yen, a decline of 7 percent compared to last quarter and an increase of 16 percent over the same period last year. Income before income taxes declined 6 percent quarter on quarter but increased 27 percent year on year to 7.8 billion yen.

Assets under management reached a record 34.8 trillion yen as of the end of September on inflows into investment trusts and due to market factors. In the investment trust business, sales of privately placed funds for regional financial institutions were robust, and Nomura saw a marked increase in assets under management in Fund Wrap and SMA funds.

Nomura’s investment advisory business continued to expand its distribution channels for UCITS2 compliant funds into regions outside the EU such as Asia and South America. Assets under management in smart beta products topped 1 trillion yen.

TOKYO, November 3, 2014 — /EPR FINANCIAL NEWS/ — Nomura Holdings, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors approved a resolution to set up a share buyback program, pursuant to the company’s articles of incorporation set out in accordance with Article 459-1 of the Companies Act of Japan.

The share buyback program will run from November 13, 2014, to January 16, 2015, and  have an upper limit of 40 million shares of Nomura Holdings common stock, or 1.0 percent of outstanding shares. Of this, approximately 20 million shares are expected to be used for stock options. The upper limit of the aggregate amount of the repurchase price will be 28 billion yen, and the shares will be purchased on the stock exchange via a trust bank.

Nomura plans to use the acquired treasury stock to deliver shares upon the exercise of stock options and to raise capital efficiency and ensure a flexible capital management policy.

As of September 30, 2014, Nomura Holdings had 3,822,562,601 outstanding shares including 182,325,748 shares as treasury stock.

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Nomura Securities
Email: media@nomura.com
(44) 20 7102 4222
Address Nomura House, 1 St Martin’s Le-Grand, London EC1A 4NP, United Kingdom
Media: Alex Timmon

Experian Reveals Mortgage Fraud Set To Surge In 2013

Experian predicts there will be a dramatic increase in attempted mortgage fraud in the UK next year, bringing the number of people fraudulently trying to obtain home loans to the highest level since records began in 2009.

A total of 43 out of every 10,000 mortgage applications are expected to be identified as fraudulent in 2013 – marking a rise of 13 per cent on 2012 figures and 26 per cent on 2011. The majority of attacks are likely to continue to come from first party fraudsters – essentially individuals misrepresenting their own financial circumstances and employment statuses or attempting to hide adverse credit histories.

Meanwhile, Experian’s latest Fraud Index*, which highlights the evolving nature of the fraud threat facing the UK’s financial services sector, also revealed that attempted mortgage fraud in the third quarter of this year was up six per cent on the same period in 2011, with 38 in every 10,000 applications deemed fraudulent – compared to 36 in every 10,000 12 months ago. It is also the first time within the past year that mortgage fraud has overtaken current account fraud as the area targeted most frequently by fraudsters.

Overall, 17 in every 10,000 applications received by financial institutions in Q3 of this year were detected to be fraudulent – seven per cent more than the same time last year, with savings accounts seeing a rise of 58 per cent. However, attempted fraud in the automotive finance sector fell for the sixth consecutive quarter, with 15 in every 10,000 fraudulent applications discovered between July and September 2012 – down 29 per cent when compared with 2011.

Nick Mothershaw, Director of Identity & Fraud Services at Experian in the UK and Ireland, said: “Almost 90 per cent of mortgage fraud tends to originate from genuine individuals misrepresenting their financial situations attempting to buy property that would ordinarily be out of reach. With tougher rules on UK mortgage lending set to come into force in 2014, where lenders will have to put a borrower’s ability to repay under greater scrutiny, it important that they have the correct tools in place to do this, especially as attempted fraud in this industry is set to increase significantly over the next 12 months.

“Increased fraud levels in specific industries mean that it has never been more important to ensure that applications for new credit facilities are analysed for signs of fraudulent activity. Simple steps organisations can take to mitigate risk include robust checking of new applications for credit using tools that reveal first party fraud and organised fraud rings, continually reassessing fraud risk across existing accounts and introducing true identity authentication using facts only a genuine applicant will know on all products, not just the higher risk ones.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian strikes new three-year data and analytics deal with Hitachi Capital UK

Experian has announced a renewal of its strategic partnership with Hitachi Capital UK.

The partnership will see Experian continuing to provide a range of acquisition credit risk,customer management, affordability and ID verification products.

Hitachi Capital UK operates extensively in the retail finance sector and has opted to extend its use of Experian’s Detect and Hunter fraud prevention services, improving its control of credit and fraud risk and the efficiency of its application processing.

It will also use Experian’s Electronic Identity Authentication service for real-time validation and ID verification of customers.

Andrew Davies, Head of Risk at Hitachi Capital UK said: “Experian’s analytics and data expertise has given us far better control over both credit and fraud risk, and enables us to run a fast and efficient process at the point of application. This partnership extension will enable further improvements in these areas, extend the positive experience we provide to new customers across all areas of the business and to spot opportunities to strengthen and deepen relationships with our existing customers.”

Gary Wood, UK&I Managing Director for Experian Decision Analytics, said:
“Organisations that are serious about achieving sustained growth are increasingly turning to advanced analytics to drive improvements in their decision making strategies. We have worked closely with Hitachi Capital UK to enable them to make faster and more effective decisions on new customers, to improve their offering to existing customers and to provide more precise insight into credit and fraud risk.

“We are aware that for innovative organisations like Hitachi Capital UK, investing in a highly sophisticated infrastructure that enables it to control risk effectively while helping it grow its lending capabilities is absolutely crucial. This is a significant deal that will play a huge role in protecting the organisation’s asset quality.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian’s Global Fraud Prevention Services Strengthened By One Billion Iovation Device Checks

Experian has announced an international partnership with iovation, the Device Reputation Authority, to further enhance Experian’s global fraud prevention capabilities. Iovation’s advanced device recognition software, dynamic referencing and device reputation checks will increase the reach and effectiveness of Experian’s identity verification and fraud prevention services.

iovation brings together the world’s largest repository of mobile and online devices. It identifies one billion mobile devices globally and currently conducts nine billion device reputation checks a year. It enables clients to assess the likelihood of transactions being fraudulent based on the device from which an application is made. Its sophisticated real-time risk assessment analytics stops some 150,000 potential online fraud attempts each day.

Results from searches against iovation’s device library can now be used to in conjunction with Experian’s fraud and identity capabilities including its ID verification tool, Prove-ID,card fraud prevention engine, Risk-ID, and account opening fraud prevention service Hunter.

Nick Mothershaw, Director of Identity & Fraud, Experian said: “Fraud continues to represent a clear and present danger to the bottom lines of banks, insurers, financial services, lenders and ecommerce merchants. With the rise of mobile commerce, the question of device reputation is becoming increasingly important. Our agreement with iovation will provide Experian’s clients with a new layer of defence against fraudsters and deliver a more comprehensive risk assessment and scoring of each transaction to identify and welcome legitimate customers.”

“Collaborating with Experian means we can help our joint clients avoid fraud losses by stopping cybercriminals before they damage their business or customers. Combining iovation’s power of device reputation with Experian’s extensive identity-based services is game-changing,” said Jon Karl‚ co-founder and Vice President of Corporate Development at iovation.

“iovation is committed to identifying suspicious activity, exposing the size and scope of problems, and helping our customers know whom to trust online.”

Working in tandem with Experian’s range of identity verification and fraud prevention tools, iovation’s ReputationManager 360 analyses the past and current behaviour of more than one billion devices to identify and re-recognize devices logging into an organisation’s website in real time. This unique approach spots relationships between different accounts with multiple vendors and identifies all of the devices associated with an individual without needing personally identifiable data. Doing so helps businesses prevent fraudulent transactions before they happen and identifies potential fraud rings or recurring fraud activities, while protecting the privacy of consumers.

Via EPR Network
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Experian helps Hammersmith & Fulham save £3,000 a day in the fight against social housing tenancy fraud

Experian has assisted The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in recovering almost £3,000-a-day for the public purse with an ongoing and highly successful programme to prevent social housing tenancy fraud in its 12,000 social homes.

The local authority is working with Experian to deploy the latest fraud detection techniques in a programme that has significantly reduced the level of social housing tenancy fraud in Hammersmith & Fulham. Experian’s analysis, combined with the in-depth local knowledge and expertise of its fraud investigators, has yielded savings of more than £650,000 in the first seven months, with more savings expected to follow.

Councillor Andrew Johnson, Hammersmith & Fulham Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “These stunning results prove our zero tolerance towards fraud is working. Every fraudster profiting from the most vulnerable members of society by unlawfully sub-letting social homes should know they now run a very high risk of being caught.

“Every home that is sub-let is a property taken away from a person or family in need.

“Experian is working with Hammersmith & Fulham to enable the investigation team to review and follow up suspected fraud cases. Within the first seven months, around 300 high-risk properties were investigated resulting in savings of £654,000 to the public purse – the equivalent of nearly £3,000–a-day. In many cases keys were very quickly surrendered following an e-mail, phone call or visit from the local authority.

“Our data-matching work with Experian, underpinned by our cost-effective internal analysisis expected to save £1 million in the first 12 months of the exercise.”

At present, current fraud estimates are based on collective samples of individual housing providers and suggest Social Housing Fraud is a significant problem in the UK with evidence of fraud in at least 6 per cent of social homes. But the true figure is almost certainly higher as this estimate does not include fraudsters that have obtained multiple tenancies in more than one local authority or housing association. A true estimate of the scale of the problem will require combined data sharing and matching between all social housing providers. Indeed, the problem of social housing fraud cannot be effectively addressed or solved without effective coordination between providers.

Experian is already working with over 30 social housing providers to help prevent social housing tenancy fraud. Our most recent fraud analysis in January 2012 covers a quarter of a million tenancy records representing a broad spread of urban and rural social housing providers. Work to date has detected potential fraud in over 6 per cent of tenancies nationally, one in sixteen social homes. However, in some areas the level of detected fraud is significantly higher, particularly in premium locations such as London, where some local authorities there are suffering rates as high as nine or ten per cent.

Via EPR Network
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Experian Reports New Euro Rules Expose Businesses To €20 Billion Payment Bill

A new report from Experian, the global information services company, has revealed European businesses risk losing billions of Euros as a result of failure to tackle simple payment errors.

The move to a single SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) payment system – designed to simplify and streamline processing operations for domestic and international payments – will expose out-of-date account data and other errors that were previously overcome through a patchwork of locally implemented fixes. SEPA becomes mandatory in February 2014 for Eurozone countries and 2016 for businesses in non-Eurozone territories wishing to make and receive payments in Euros.

Experian analysis of over half a million records bank account records held by businesses around Europe has revealed that 12 per cent of electronic payments made to and from businesses in Euros currently contain data errors that could critically block the timely and cost-effective transfer of funds when new legislation for SEPA payments first comes into effect in February 2014. Only 65 per cent of Euro transactions are underpinned by fully accurate destination account data.

It has also found that 45 per cent of new SEPA-compliant International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs) stored by large European businesses do not have the valid corresponding Bank Identifier Codes (BICs) required to enable successful completion of transactions.

Experian has warned that these same error types will lead to payment failure when made through SEPA, costing businesses approximately €50 for each failed transaction, and leaving a total bill of more than €20 billion a year. An average error rate of around one in eight equates to a potential cost of €600,000 for an organisation transacting with 100,000 bank accounts.

Jonathan Williams, Director of Payment Strategy at Experian, commented: “The SEPA initiative is a key component to strengthening the financial foundations of the Eurozone with improved and more efficient end-to-end straight-through processing of payments. While SEPA will undoubtedly benefit organisations trading in Euros, errors in bank account details held by European businesses risk causing significant teething problems as locally implemented fixes – which have largely worked so far – are made redundant by the new common payments system.

“European businesses need to analyse their account data, fix any errors and convert this information to the correct SEPA standard, to ensure suppliers, partners and staff continue to get paid on time when the new rules come into place. Early adoption is crucial. If left to the last minute, the SEPA requirements have the potential to be both disruptive and costly.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian’s 192business named as preferred identity supplier to Law Society

Experian, the global information services company, announced its 192business unit has been selected by the Law Society as its preferred supplier of electronic identity verification tools for anti-money laundering purposes.

192business, part of Experian since it was acquired in March 2012, provides organisations with a range of electronic identity verification tools, including personal data verification, fraud screening and document verification. These products are already used by 44 of the top 100 UK law firms to meet client due diligence obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and to mitigate the risks of making payments in contravention of the UK financial sanctions regime.

Nigel Spencer, Chief of Commercial Affairs at the Law Society, said: “Experian and 192business have worked closely with the Law Society to ensure that its identity verification services are tailored to the specific needs of the legal sector. Accurate and efficient identity verification is vital for meeting the evolving challenges of complying with financial crime prevention rules.”

Nick Mothershaw, UK director of identity & fraud services at Experian, commented: “Firms across the legal profession have successfully managed money laundering and payment risks working in partnership with 192business. Since 192business became part of Experian earlier this year we have further strengthened our position amongst the legal community and are delighted that the Law Society has chosen to endorse our range of identity verification tools.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian Reveals Surge In Mortgage And Savings Fraud

Experian, the global information services company, has revealed that the mortgage industry saw a 23 per cent jump in attempted fraud rates between April and June 2012. In the meantime, Experian’s latest Fraud Index shows that fraud fell by three per cent year-on-year across financial services products with automotive finance and insurance providers witnessing the biggest decreases during the period.

A total of 39 in every 10,000 mortgage applications were identified as fraudulent between April and June 2012, up from 32 in during the same period in 2011. Experian’s fraud analysis also revealed that the majority of attacks on mortgage products continue to come from first party fraudsters, individuals misrepresenting their own circumstances. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of attempted mortgage fraud was due to individuals hiding adverse credit information and a further one in five (21 per cent) applicants providing misleading employment histories.

Savings accounts saw a 109 per cent uplift in fraud rates over during the period also. A total of 13 fraudulent applications in every 10,000 were detected, up from 6 in every 10,000 a year ago. Third party identity fraudsters were responsible for the vast majority (88 per cent) of fraudulent activity in this sector. 11 in every 10,000 falsified savings account applications were down to unrelated third parties. This kind of identity fraud is often perpetrated for money laundering or sleeper fraud purposes.

Nick Mothershaw, Director of Identity & Fraud Services at Experian in the UK and Ireland, commented: “Over the course of the last year, we have seen mortgages continue to be targeted at a high rate, with more people trying to misrepresent their personal, employment and credit information on applications to get properties out of their reach. At the same time, we have also seen an increase in the number of properties where the use of the property is misdeclared, such as applying for a regular residential mortgage on a buy-to-let property.

“Meanwhile, deposit taking products – such as current and savings accounts – continue to be heavily targeted by third party identity fraudsters for money laundering purposes and as a sleeper platform from which to target more lucrative credit products.

“Robust fraud prevention relies on thorough and efficient validation of customers’ identities and the information presented on the application form. It is vital that finance providers share comprehensive and timely information about finance applications and known frauds to help combat this common threat to the industry.”

The automotive finance industry saw a decrease of 32 per cent in Q2. 16 in every 10,000 applications were discovered to be fraudulent, down from 24 in every 10,000 applications last year. Attempts at hiding adverse credit (64 per cent) were still the most common method when applying for automotive finance.

Via EPR Network
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Experian Reports Slough Overtakes London As Identity Fraud Capital Of UK

Experian has revealed that Slough has overtaken London to become the identity fraud capital of the UK.

The Berkshire town recorded 25 identity fraud attempts for every 10,000 households, with residents targeted at around four times the UK national average – seven households in every 10,000. Residents of London, Gravesend, Birmingham, Luton, Manchester and Leicester, were also targeted at twice the national average rate.

London as a whole experienced 22 attempts for every 10,000 households, although attempts were not spread evenly across the capital. Financial service providers detected 78 incidents for every 10,000 households in East Ham, as residents were targeted at more than 11 times the national rate. Woolwich and Stratford also experienced significant identity fraud activity, recording 46 and 43 identity fraud attempts respectively for every 10,000 households.

While the instances of fraud across all financial products remained at a constant level between 2010 and 2011, with six in every 10,000 applications were found to be fraudulent. The data shows that there was a surge in identity theft via current accounts and mortgages during this period, with rates doubling, from six to 14 in every 10,000 applications, and quadrupling, from one to four in every 10,000, respectively. Identity fraud attempts on credit cards fell from 17 to four in every 10,000 applications.

For the first time, young people renting small flats from local councils or housing associations represent the demographic most likely to be targeted by identity fraudsters. This group, known in Experian’s Mosaic classification as Upper Floor Living, saw its identity fraud risk score increase by 47 per cent to 256 in 2011. Its constituents are two and a half times more likely than the average UK resident to be targeted.

Previously, the wealthy Alpha Territory demographic – representing the wealthiest sections of society living in fashionable London neighbourhoods – were most likely to be targeted. The risk score for this group helved in 2011, from 301 in 2010 to 149, as fraudsters turned their attentions to younger and less affluent sections of society.

Nick Mothershaw, UK director of identity and fraud services at Experian, commented: “The increasing prominence of lower income demographics at the top of Experian’s identity fraud risk table, alongside declining risk scores for the wealthiest groups, represents a notable shift in fraudsters’ tactics.

“Identity fraudsters have traditionally focused the bulk of their attentions on the wealthiest sections of society living in prestigious London postcodes. Our research shows that the risk continues to spread, with the highest rates of identity fraud now to be found in the Thames Valley and London’s Olympic neighbourhoods.

“Financial services firms and other providers of credit recognise the financial and reputational risks associated with identity fraud, and have put in place increasingly sophisticated identity verification and anti-fraud measures to combat the threat. Individuals also have a role to play fighting the fraudsters and it is important that they take steps to protect their personal information.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian Reveals Mortgage Fraud Increases For Fifth Successive Year

Experian Identity & Fraud has revealed that fraudulent applications for mortgages increased by eight per cent in 2011, marking the fifth consecutive year in which the rate of mortgage fraud has increased.

Around 34 in every 10,000 applications for mortgages were found to be fraudulent in 2011, compared to just 15 in every 10,000 in 2006.

The overall rate of fraud at the point of application across the UK’s financial services sector increased by four per cent in 2011 to just over 17 in every 10,000 applications. In addition to record mortgage fraud figures, this overall increase was also driven by growth in insurance and current account fraud.

More than 90 per cent of attempted mortgage fraud in 2011 was down to individuals misrepresenting their personal information on applications. Typically, these first party frauds involved falsifying employment status or financial information, and, most commonly, attempting to hide an adverse credit history.

Experian’s demographic insight revealed that Mosaic groups, the Terraced Melting Pot – young, poorly educated individuals living in small towns – and the Suburban Mindsets – predominantly middle aged, middle and skilled working class individuals – were both responsible for around 15 per cent of first party mortgage fraud cases in 2011. The young, well educated professionals of the Liberal Opinions were also prone to attempting first party mortgage fraud, being responsible for 13 per cent of cases.

Nick Mothershaw, UK&I director of Identity & Fraud at Experian said: “About 70 per cent of financial services application fraud in the UK fraud is down to first parties misrepresenting their circumstances, and the products such as mortgages and insurance that have seen fraud soar over the last year have a significant first party fraud element to them. This kind of fraud tends to originate from financially stressed segments of society.”

Looking at other financial products, Experian found that insurance fraud UK rates reached 11 in every 10,000 applications and claims in 2011, an increase of 23 per cent over the last year. 89 per cent of insurance fraud was first-party led with the Terraced Melting Pot, Suburban Mindsets and Liberal Opinions demographics responsible for the most instances. Combined they accounted for 43 per cent of cases.

Current account fraud increased to 36 frauds in every 10,000 applications in 2011, up from 23 in every 10,000 in 2010. 60 per cent of current account fraud in 2011 was committed by first-parties, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of which was down to the Terraced Melting Pot demographic. The remaining 40 per cent of current account fraud attempts were down to third-party identity fraudsters seeking to open accounts as a springboard to obtain other credit products or for money laundering purposes.

Not all financial products saw fraud rates increase in 2011. Credit card fraud continued to fall, from 19 in every 10,000 applications in 2010 to 12 in every 10,000 in 2011. Automotive finance providers have also seen fraud rates fall. 23 in every 10,000 applications were found to be fraudulent in 2011, down from 38 in every 10,000 during 2010. 85 per cent of these frauds were first party.

Experian’s Fraud Index utilises data from the National Hunter and Insurance Hunter fraud prevention systems, which Experian manages on behalf of its clients. These systems enable financial companies to analyse applications alongside previous ones and highlight inconsistencies which may be indicative of fraud.

Via EPR Network
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Experian completes acquisition of 192business

Experian, the global information services company, has announced that it has completed the acquisition of 192business Limited, a leading UK based provider of online identity verification services. 192business will form part of Experian’s Decision Analytics business line.

The acquisition further enhances the range of identity verification and fraud prevention services Experian is able to offer clients and strengthens its position across a number of rapidly growing vertical markets in the UK.

It also provides a platform that Experian can use to deploy new services globally. The services 192business provides are used by many of its customers internationally and can be rapidly extended to new geographies.

Launched in 2002, 192business helps organisations to verify and manage the identity of their customers online in order to minimise fraud and risk. Increasing regulation, the rise in fraud globally, growth in e-commerce sales and the move from traditional offline identity checks to online checks are all contributing to growth in the identity verification market.

192business provides organisations with identity verification, including personal data verification, fraud screening, online document verification and voice verification. It services a wide range of sectors, such as e-commerce, insurance, utilities, retail, finance and legal services, and has over 1,000 clients worldwide. Clients include Halfords, The Money Shop, Panasonic, ScrewFix and PKR.com.

Gary Wood, UK& I managing director for Experian Decision Analytics, commented: “The combination of 192business’s technology and Experian’s data and analytics will help our clients in the UK and around the world to more effectively and efficiently establish the identities of genuine customers. We look forward to working together to drive greater innovation and insight for our clients.”

Via EPR Network
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Experian Enhances Hunter Fraud Prevention System

Experian, the global information services company, has announced the launch of a new version of Hunter, its industry-leading data-sharing fraud prevention system, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of anti-fraud operations.

The upgrade – available from the end of February 2012 – enhances Hunter’s anti-fraud investigation and collaboration capabilities with more than 30 new and enhanced features. These include integration with Google Maps, automated completion of fraud submissions to CIFAS and greater sharing of fraud intelligence and investigatory capabilities across multiple business units within an organisation.

The integration of Google Maps into Hunter allows fraud investigators to see how the addresses on a number of connected applications relate to each other geographically, through the use of its Street View, Satellite and Standard map views. This will, for example, enable investigators to spot geographic connections that are not obvious from the data, such as potential fraud collaboration between residents of neighbouring properties located on different streets, and ensure that commercial properties are not passed off as domestic residences.

Experian’s new CIFAS Autofile functionality will enable Hunter users to automatically populate fraud submissions to CIFAS with the required information. This minimises the time spent keying duplicated data and can reduce filing time by 80 per cent, dramatically improving efficiency and reducing the margin for human error.

Large organisations running Hunter across disparate business units will also be able to benefit from new collaboration capabilities and take advantage of opportunities to centralise fraud investigation operations internally. Investigators are now able to pull together a greater level of fraud intelligence from other parts of the same organisation and investigate cases across all business units, increasing productivity across the group and providing richer data through sharing of information between departments and offices.

Nick Mothershaw, UK director of Identity & Fraud at Experian, commented: “Fraud continues to represent a clear and present danger to the bottom lines of banks, insurance companies and other financial services and credit granting organisations. The enhancements Experian has made to Hunter will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fraud prevention capabilities with additional tools for investigation and even greater collaboration. We have enabled users to better understand the location of potentially fraudulent applications with a single click within the Hunter environment and to share fraud intelligence far more easily.”

Experian’s Hunter fraud prevention system has been used across the UK’s banking, financial services and insurance sectors for more than 20 years to detect, investigate and record fraud at the point of application.

Via EPR Network
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Experian To Create And Manage New Reference Database For The Payments Council

Experian, the global information services company, has been appointed by the Payments Council to create and maintain an industry database of corporate customers’ payment information. The central biller database, which will improve the accuracy of payments made using online and telephone banking, is scheduled to go live in late 2012.

Experian will collect, verify and standardise information from banks on how their corporate customers (billers) receive payments. The full database is to be used by banks to make it easier for online and telephone banking customers to find accurate information when paying their bills – for example, via simplified drop-down menus. The service will also benefit billers, who will find it easier to reconcile incoming electronic payments by providing more accurate billing information for customers to use.

The central biller database is an initiative from the Payments Council’s recently published National Payments Plan (2011-2014), forming part of the Payment Council’s programme of activity to enhance existing payment services through innovation.

Jonathan Williams, Director of Strategy at Experian Identity and Fraud comments: “Experian estimates up to a quarter of customer references are invalid or incorrectly formatted, increasing the time it takes to credit payments and sometimes preventing them from being credited altogether, particularly when bill issuers change their account details, switch banks, or are involved in a merger or takeover.

“This database will help ensure banks hold correct and up-to-date information for billers and it will give both corporate and consumer customers’ confidence their payment will reach the right recipient and will be processed quickly.”

Hilary Plattern, Head of Strategy for the Payments Council, said: “This innovative solution is a win-win: consumer customers making payments benefit from increased confidence in the accuracy of the information they use to pay bills online or over the phone, while companies can be confident their customers are using up-to-date bank account and sort code details, as well as correctly-formatted references.

“This new database is an excellent example of the Payment Council’s commitment to put customers’ needs at the centre of the way payment methods are designed. We look forward to working with Experian to develop and deliver this service.”

About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses in the areas of fraud prevention and fraud solutions (including banking fraud), as well as helping to manage credit risk, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

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Experian Data Shows Identity Fraud Attempts Double In First Half Of 2011

Experian, the global information services company, has released its latest Fraud Index which reveals that identity fraud attempts doubled in the first half of 2011, compared to Q4 in 2010. This pushed up the overall level of application fraud attempted against UK financial services firms for the third successive quarter. Experian also predicts a nine per cent increase in application fraud attempts during 2011*.

The analysis, published at Experian’s annual Identity & Fraud Forum, reveals that identity fraudsters were responsible for eight in every 10,000 applications made in Q2 2011 (April – June 2011), double the number of fraudulent applications recorded in the final quarter of 2010. This was driven by a 340% increase in current account identity fraud, from five to 22 in every 10,000 applications.

Experian’s analysis also highlights that 18 in every 10,000 applications for automotive finance, credit cards, insurance, loans, mortgages, current accounts and savings products made in the second quarter of 2011 were found to be fraudulent. These were five per cent higher than January to March 2011, and up nine per cent on the year.

Over the same period the number of first-party fraud attempts – where a genuine individual misrepresents their circumstances – remained constant at 10 in every 10,000 applications.

42 in every 10,000 applications for current accounts were detected as fraudulent between April and June 2011, up 20 per cent on the first three months of 2011 and 59 per cent higher than during Q2 2010. For the second quarter in a row, current accounts were the most targeted financial product by fraudsters.

Experian’s Fraud Index collects data from both the National Hunter and Insurance Hunterfraud prevention systems, which are managed by Experian on behalf of its clients. Both systems provide a way for financial organisations to protect against fraud by comparing applications with previously submitted ones and pinpointing inconsistencies.

Nick Mothershaw, Director of Identity & Fraud at Experian UK & Ireland, commented: “Identity fraud is back with a vengeance. Our analysis shows that we are witnessing a surge in the number of detected identity frauds, with current accounts the number one target in the UK. Fraudsters see the current account as an easier option, giving them a springboard for money laundering and from where they can also target more lucrative credit products such as mortgages, credit cards and loans.”

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Experian Reveals Unlawful Social Housing Subletting In The UK Could Be Costing £2bn A Year

New research by Experian Public Sector has revealed that the threat of social housing tenancy fraud in the UK could be significantly larger than previously thought.

Based on an initial analysis of 125,000 social housing arrangements at just ten UK local authorities and housing associations in both rural and urban areas, Experian Public Sector’s experts estimate that potential fraudulent occupancy of social housing, such as subletting, could exist at a minimum of 157,077* properties when extrapolated up across the rest of the UK.

The Audit Commission estimated the level of tenancy fraud at 50,000 properties in 2009** but Experian Public Sector’s analysis suggests that the figure could now be at least three times higher than this.

The preliminary findings follow a series of data matching exercises which analysed social housing tenancy lists at ten UK local authorities and housing associations. The analysis looked for data that might suggest subletting and warrant further investigation. This involved the use of compliant information to identify a range of fraud indicators, including the number of tenants not currently occupying their tenancy address and found living at another address.

The analysis indicates that potential fraud, such as subletting, could exist within a minimum of 3.1 per cent of social properties. When extrapolated nationally, based on 5.06 million social properties, this suggests potential fraud could exist at a minimum of 157,077 properties in the UK.

If all of these social properties were subject to fraudulent activity and made available to people currently in temporary accommodation, the reduced cost and saving to the tax payer would be in excess of £2.0 billion*** a year. Freeing up existing social housing means reduced waiting lists which could also mean fewer new social properties need to be built.

Nick Mothershaw, Experian’s director of Fraud and Identity Solutions, commented: “Our initial research suggests that the level of social housing tenancy fraud in Britain could be much higher than previously estimated. It also demonstrates how more effective data matching can quickly provide a reliable indication of what could be illegal occupancy and subletting. This means investigators can prioritise and deal swiftly with fraudulent cases. Reducing social housing tenancy fraud will significantly reduce the cost of temporary accommodation which we estimate to be at over £2 billion a year.”

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Experian Reveals Mid-Life Makeover Trend

Experian CreditExpert, the UK’s most trusted credit monitoring service, has revealed that men and woman in their 40s and 50s are taking ownership of their existential questions and seizing the opportunity to take real life-changing and self-affirming steps in their life.*

The mid-life crisis is often perceived as a ‘curse’ of middle age, associated with men of a certain age attempting to relive their youth through extravagant purchases like sports cars and designer clothing. But as average life expectancy, and with it the age of retirement, creeps ever upward, this is all changing for men and women in their 40s and 50s.

85% of 40-59 year-olds surveyed by Experian CreditExpert had felt the need to change their life situation in the last five years, with responses demonstrating that, far from the expected plans to splash out on cosmetic surgery or fast cars, mid-lifers are making decisions that directly impact their work and life happiness, giving themselves a second chance at achieving their ambitions and desires – from changing career or learning new skills to seeing the world.

70% gave ‘travelling the world’ as one of their goals in later life, with the next most popular options being ‘spending time learning new things’ (46%) and ‘dedicating my life to a favourite hobby’ (29%). By comparison, only 13% (and only 3% of men) would have a cosmetic makeover, and purchasing a sporty new run-around did not feature at all.

The most clear gender divide was over what middle-aged men and women were most hoping to achieve by making life changes. Among men, gaining a better work/life balance was the most popular answer which was given by 32% of males (compared with just 20% of females). By comparison, women’s priorities were focused on adventure and gaining new life experiences with 36% giving this answer, compared with 30% of males.

Simple life changes were shown to have the biggest effect on most people’s happiness, as ‘making a career change’ and ‘making new friends’ were both expressed as having had a significant positive impact on their lives in recent years by 51% of those polled.

Money was predictably shown to play a big part in achieving one’s life goals. 69% said that a sudden change in their financial situation, such as an unexpected windfall or pay rise, would be the factor that was likely to kick-start their own ‘mid-life makeover’. 74% felt that their financial situation was the only thing still holding them back from making significant changes.

“People entering their late 40s in 2011 are still only halfway through their working lives”, said Pete Turner, managing director of Experian Interactive. “These results show that, far from throwing money at new toys in a ‘quick fix’, many are channelling their energy towards making positive, fulfilling changes. Preparing for the ‘mid-life makeover’ by cleaning up your credit rating can, for many, be the first step towards achieving those dreams.”

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