Fighting fraud with VOIP (Skype?)

Automated calls to verify identity

[incubationgroup]

Is anybody using automated (and cheap!) VOIP calls to verify online buyer's identity?
For example, have an automated recording ask for the customer name and perhaps any other details. Then compare what you have for the buyer on file and make the approval decision.

There has got to be online webservices that can call your supplied number with your recording. You can than script/automate the whole process.

I just learned that Skype has released their API's. It is working with the Skype client only at the moment, but I hope they will release full-featured web services API soon.

What do you think about this idea? Are there companies that already offer this service?

[Corey Bryant]

There is Varilogix, Fraudgate, maxmin - those are a couple that come to mind

-Corey

[MMayer]

Earlier I've posted a topic dedicated to verifying online buyer's identity.
In my case it concerned preventing online credit card fraud.
Company I use (ProveOut) isn't not well-known yet and that's why their prices are rather attractive. And I can't complain of the quality of service.

If I'm not mistaken they also provide service you've described.

[edited by: lorax at 8:32 pm (utc) on Mar. 14, 2006]
[edit reason] removed DN [/edit]

[stajer]

I don't know that just an automated message asking the buyer to repeat the information they filled out in your shopping cart will prevent a motivated fraudster. There is nothing to indicate their phone number is associated with their address - they could get a voip phone or cell phone number.

I find the best thing to do to combat fraud is talk directly to the person on a suspect order. Just start asking questions - I am not so much looking at the answer as the demeanor of the person. Do they trip my BS meter?

[incubationgroup]

Wow guys, these are excellent suggestions!

I know that just having the customer punch in the verification number isn't going to stop all frauders, that's why I am thinking of asking the most suspicious ones to say how they found the site. If their answer sounds like B/S, the order is disapproved, plus I now know the fraudester's voice.

MaxMind has phone number identification service, which will tell you the type of the phone used (landline, mobile, voip). For less secure numbers (non-landline) you can explain and ask the customer to jump through more hoops.

Unfortunately, this number identification only works for US and Canada, do you know if there is similar international service?

Any further anti-fraud phone verification tips are very appreciated!

Thanks again:-)

[MMayer]

An opportunity to check whether a client use landline, mobile or voip is really of great help for merchant. Add here customer's verified ip, country by ip, country by phone area code and the results of voip authorization - and you'll get a perfect all-in-one tool in detecting customer's identity.

Thanks God and global network, I've already found it :)

[genem]

MMayer, country by phone area code is what I am looking for also. Are there such services available?

[MMayer]

Yes, they are. Visit their site in order to find the full info.