August 03 2007

888 joins Ethoca fraud data sharing service

Online gaming company 888 Holdings has joined the Ethoca data sharing service. The service connects 888 to a collective pool of data on fraud and unwanted card not present transactions provided by Ethoca customers.

Andre Edelbrock, president and CEO at Ethoca commented: "As fraud and other unwanted activity grow in size and sophistication, businesses need to stay ahead of the curve. Ethoca enables them to do that by sharing their fraud experience for mutual gain in a manner that safeguards their proprietary customer data at all times."

"Taking care of our customers has been one of the cornerstones of 888's success and an area where we have set high standards in terms of responsible gaming and fraud prevention," said 888 CEO Gigi Levy. "The Ethoca membership allows us to be at the forefront of our industry by enhancing our high anti-fraud standards and reinforcing 888's position as one of the most responsible online gaming operators."

The use of real-time data sharing as a fraud prevention tool is already proving itself in the insurance sector and in the banking industry where details of credit applications are shared. As a sector in which fraudsters collude and share information, it makes sense for the retail sector to follow the example of the banks and insurance industries and to combat fraud as a whole industry. Time will tell if the future is in commercial arrangements such as that offered by Ethoca or in a national scheme as mooted by 192.com.

Emma Herrod