FRAUD IN TRAVEL PAYMENTS: IMPACT, RECOVERY AND AVOIDANCE.
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The total fraud impact for travel companies is expected to exceed USD25B by 2020, with close to USD11B to be borne by Online Travel Agents (OTAs)1. That’s why reducing the risk of fraud was high on the agenda for Mr & Mrs Smith, an online hotel booking service specialising in small, boutique luxury hotels.
Challenge
Mr & Mrs Smith previously used corporate credit cards to make supplier payments. However, providing the same card details to a large number of third-party suppliers carried a high risk of fraud and misuse. And cards often reached their maximum payment threshold due to the volume of transactions being processed, slowing down the process and causing delays.
eNett Solution
Mr & Mrs Smith turned to eNett Virtual Account Numbers (VANs) for supplier payments. By generating unique card numbers against a defined booking with payment parameters, VANs minimise the risk of fraud. Controls available when using VANs include restricting the card for use within a specific merchant category, allowing use only between specific activation and expiry dates, and permitting only one specific amount to be charged on one occasion, which together contribute to lowering fraud risk significantly. eNett’s continuous monitoring of the use of VANs by the in-house fraud control team make VANs payments fast, easy and safe. And, backed by the Mastercard guarantee including sophisticated chargeback capabilities, VANs protect against fraud if it does occur.
"eNett VANs reduced the financial risk associated with online transactions by allowing us to issue virtual cards for an exact transaction value, and include a future activation date. Our transition to eNett has been exceedingly positive for our underlying business.” Tamara Lohan, Co-Founder, Mr & Mrs Smith.
Results
By switching to eNett VANs, Mr & Mrs Smith has reduced the risk of fraud significantly, by using the parameters available to control supplier payments. And exceeding limits on cards is no longer a concern. Based on the success it experienced with eNett, Mr & Mrs Smith increased its business with eNett four-fold from 2013 to 2017.
1 Edgar, Dunn & Company – Fraud in Travel Payments (January 2018), eNett International research. 2. eNett analysis of internal data, fraud rates in C2B card payments, and travel payments analysis by Edgar, Dunn & Company.
