Vladivostok--Swindlers are stealing credit card information and using it to make online purchases at an alarming rate. Last year credit card fraud was estimated to total between $500 million and $2 billion.

Expert Dmitry Kossolapov documents the problem with detailed explanations and effective solutions in his new book "100% Internet Card Fraud Protected." Aimed at businesses that accept purchases online, the book shines a light on a large, dark, and mostly unknown area of high tech crime.

Kossolapov divides credit card swindlers, who he calls "carders," into four types: (1) Kids, who steal their parents' credit cards, (2) 14-20 year-olds who got a credit card number (found a slip, ripped-off someone, etc.), (3) people who find themselves using a stolen card during a time of extreme hardship, and (4) professional carders. He says, "Usually professional carders unite in carding groups or hire employees. This type is the most dangerous for merchants because they are the most skillful and it is almost impossible to stop them.

Some carders simply pick up discarded receipts from mall trash cans. Others work in stores, restaurants, and mail order firms, copying down card information on notepad. One carder used more sophisticated methods hacking into an e-commerce server and stealing information from nearly 50,000 cards.

How can businesses avoid credit card fraud? "Some credit card authorization centers offer an address verification system (AVS), which compares a billing address and a zip code submitted by a customer with the information in the issuing institution's database. It tells you if there is a discrepancy," Kossolapov said.

Some merchants demand a name and a phone number of the issuing institution. "Most of the carders don't know an issuing institution's name and a phone number and won't mess with you."

See the book's web site at http://go.to/ccfraud. It is sold in digital form at fatbrain.com.

Contact: Dmitry Kossolapov
email - dmkos@mail.primorye.ru

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