
Identify your customers to spot fraud. It’s a simple concept, but it’s not so simple to do. In our 2018 Global Fraud and Identity Report, we found that consumers expect to be recognized and welcomed wherever and whenever they do business. Here are some other interesting findings regarding recognition and fraud: 66% of consumers surveyed appreciate seeing visible security when doing business online because it makes them feel protected. 75% of businesses want security measures that have little impact on consumers. More than half of businesses still rely on passwords as their top form of authentication. Even though you can’t see your customers face-to-face, the importance of being recognized can’t be overemphasized. How well are you recognizing your customers? Can you recognize your customers?

Global Fraud and Identity Report 2018 Customer recognition. Convenience. Trust. Fraud risk. We obtained input from more than 5,500 consumers and 500 businesses worldwide on these priorities for our Global Fraud and Identity Report 2018. Top takeaways include: Your customers expect you to protect them. Are you meeting this need? Spot fraud by recognizing your customers. Can you identify yours? While perfect fraud prevention shouldn't undermine customer happiness, we can't forget that fraud victims aren’t happy customers. Businesses recognize the importance of trust - and the need for technology to enable it. Most businesses tend to demonstrate suspicion when it comes to preventing fraud, following a route of detection rather than permission or trust. This leads to lost sales and damages that customer’s lifetime value. There’s a better approach. Read the full report>

You’ve heard of the websites that can locate sex offenders near you. Maybe you’ve even used them to scope out your neighborhood. But are those websites giving you the full picture? What if some sex offenders are flying under the radar? According to a recently released study from Utica College, more than 16 percent of sex offenders attempt to avoid mandatory monitoring by manipulating their identity. They use multiple aliases, use various personal identifying information such as social security numbers or date of birth, steal identity information from family members, manipulate their name, use family or friends’ addresses, alter their physical appearance or move to states with less stringent laws. Finding ways to slide under the radar means registered sex offenders could live near schools and playgrounds, or even gain unapproved employment. In one case, 29-year-old Neil Rodreick enrolled in at least four schools in Arizona, posing as a 12-year-old boy. He was finally caught when one school was unable to verify the information on his paperwork. A parallel study conducted by Utica demonstrated that awareness of identity manipulation of sex offenders is low. Of 223 law enforcement agencies surveyed in 46 states, only five percent knew of an identity manipulation case within their jurisdiction. Close to half (40 percent) of respondents said that they had zero cases, indicating that some may not even be aware of this issue. Clearly, additional monitoring is needed. Experian offers sex offender monitoring that conducts an in-depth search of sex offender registries in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam to help find and identify sex offenders. It also provides notifications when a sex offender is living in or moves to a customer’s neighborhood, or if a sex offender registers under a different name using a customer’s address. Monitoring identity and credit information is also another way to stay aware of sex offenders using one’s personal credentials. Do you feel that current sex offender tracking is working? Are there other tools or systems states should be using to track them? Visit our website for more information on identity protection products you can offer your customers.