Fraud prevention
The UK Cards Association manages a range of activities aimed at preventing card fraud and protecting card users. We work in conjunction with law enforcement, retailers, the Home Office and bodies such as Crimestoppers to combat all types of card fraud. This interconnected approach enables us to be effective in tackling the organised gangs behind the majority of card fraud losses.
Our key initiatives to prevent, detect and deter card fraud include:
- Financial Fraud Action UK
- Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU)
- Fraud Intelligence Sharing System (FISS)
- Industry Hot Card File (IHCF)
Financial Fraud Action UK
The UK Cards Association works in partnership with Financial Fraud Action UK to communicate its messages on card fraud prevention.
Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) presents a united front against all types of financial fraud by coordinating the financial services industries fraud prevention.
FFA UK provides a cohesive industry voice through which The UK Cards Association and other partner organisations can promote the range of activities that they engage in, to prevent financial fraud and protect cardholders.
Their website (www.financialfraudaction.org.uk) has dedicated sections for consumers, retailers, a secure police section, media and facts and figures, with links, downloads and FAQ's. For more information regarding financial fraud within the UK, visit FFA UK.
Back to topDedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU)
The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) is a special police unit fully sponsored by the banking industry, to help stamp out organised card and cheque fraud. It is comprised of officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces who work alongside banking industry fraud investigators.
The main objectives of the Unit is to investigate, target, arrest and seek the successful prosecution of offenders responsible for organised cheque and payment card crimes.’
To put DCPCU's role into perspective, in 2010, the unit generated estimated savings to industry of more than £28.1 million and 53 suspects arrested plus 22 organised criminal gangs being disrupted. It has recorded an estimated saving of £368M and has also secured more than 270 convictions on fraud related matters, since its inception.
To visit the DCPCU website for further detail, please click here.
Back to topFraud Intelligence Sharing System (FISS)
FISS is a central, shared database used for disseminating information on all confirmed, attempted and suspected fraud across the payment industry, within the UK.
The system provides a secure and robust reporting mechanism that supports the industry’s long-term fraud prevention strategy. FISS was co-funded by The UK Cards Association and our members who constantly are using it to share fraud information for the benefit of the card payment industry.
Back to topIndustry Hot Card File (IHCF)
The IHCF contains information on more than 6 million credit, debit, charge and cheque guarantee cards that have been reported lost or stolen and on average 20,000 new cards are added to the file each day. During 2007 and 2008, over 700,000 cases of attempted fraud were prevented by this system.
More than 80,000 retailers subscribe to this electronic file. When a participating retailer accepts a card payment as part of a normal transaction, it is automatically checked against the file, and the retailer is alerted if the card’s details match any of those on the system.
The IHCF is increasingly being used by online, mail order and phone based retailers that operate in the card-not-present environment, and has provided a mechanism for checking card details prior to the goods being dispatched. The IHCF is also being used successfully at motorway tollbooths in France to combat the use of stolen UK cards at road tolls.
All major UK banks and card issuers as well as Visa, MasterCard Europe, Maestro, American Express and Diner’s Club provide continuous updates to the file.
The UK Cards Association acts as administrator to the IHCF system and co-ordinates any future enhancements or modifications.
Back to top
