PLASTIC CARD CRIME AND FRAUD PREVENTION Available to Purchase

Argues that plastic card usage has risen dramatically over the last ten years, and that this increased use has led to an increase in plastic card crime. The Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) runs a nationwide Card Watch campaign, an education awareness programme which targets groups vulnerable to card crime such as women and motorists. The campaign also works in partnership with retail organizations and agencies such as the police, with a focus on card security and technology and the implementation of measures to make the distribution of cards more secure. The retail arena is particularly significant as three‐quarters of all plastic card fraud is committed at point of sale. Increased authorizations and the new UK National Merchant Alert Service will save millions, and research into new fraud prevention technology at point of sale is progressing. Retail assistance in helping to prevent card crime is vital. The banking industry awarded more than £7 million in 1992 to retail staff who stopped fraudulent transactions.