midPhase
Services, Inc. Reduces Credit Card Fraud using Synchronized
Internet/Telephone Security System [December
10, 2004]
Authentify,
the Internet identity company, announced today that
midPhase Services, Inc., one of North America's leading
web site hosting companies for Small-Medium Businesses
(SMB), has selected Authentify to eliminate e-payment
fraud and automate online order confirmation. Authentify
has enabled midPhase Services to reduce credit card
charge backs and block criminals from activating e-mail
accounts to launch Phishing attacks and distribute spam.
midPhase Services selected Authentify
for its ability to prevent users from setting up web
sites and e-mail accounts using stolen credit card numbers.
This practice is commonly used by criminals to launch
e-mail phishing attacks that attempt to steal privacy
data, such as credit card numbers, social security numbers,
passwords, etc., from unsuspecting consumers. The Authentify
service defeats fraudulent transactions by placing an
automated telephone call to users when they attempt
to purchase web hosting and/or e-mail accounts on the
midPhase web site using a credit card. To complete the
transaction, users are required to speak confirmation
details that are simultaneously being presented in their
web browser.
"Credit card fraud as a percentage
of our incoming orders was skyrocketing, and the process
of manually confirming hundreds of orders was killing
us. Using a stolen credit card number Spammers would
set-up web hosting accounts by the dozens and flood
our network with spam or phishing messages. When we
caught them they would simply open a new account using
another name and credit card and start the cycle over
again," said Dan Ushman, President and Co-founder
of midPhase Services. "Since we started using Authentify,
we have virtually eliminated credit card fraud and spamming/phishing
activities. Criminals are simply not willing to provide
their real phone number, much less answer the phone
call necessary to validate the transaction. Authentify
is a powerful deterrent."
"midPhase Services provides another
real-world example of how Authentify enables online
businesses to prevent fraud and offer secure internet
transactions without the need for any hardware, software,
or training," said Peter Tapling, president and
CEO of Authentify. "The Authentify service enables
companies to offer customers and consumers higher levels
of online service and convenience, without assuming
the risk of password-only security or the high cost
and complexity of hardware-based identity technologies."
About
Authentify
Authentify provides companies and government agencies
with authentication services for online enrollment and
account activation, e-payment, e-signature and identity
management applications. The Authentify service tightly
binds a telephone call to an Internet session using
existing infrastructure that requires no additional
software, hardware, or user training. Authentify customers
include Hewlett Packard, Associated Bank, Verisign,
PaymentOne, and the Department of Defense. Authentify
is privately held and based in Chicago, Illinois. To
contact Authentify call 773-243-0300 or visit http://www.authentify.com.
About
midPhase Services, Inc.
midPhase Services, Inc. is a web hosting and Internet
presence provider based out of Chicago, IL. midPhase
Services, Inc. is a privately owned, debt-free Illinois
corporation. midPhase offers a variety of web hosting
options to consumers and businesses, as well as reseller
opportunities to hosting resellers.
###
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