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Serasa today launches a new service that allows Brazilian consumers to check their credit reports online for free. By visiting serasaconsumidor.com.br or by downloading the SerasaConsumidor App on Google Play or iTunes, consumers can check if they are delinquent, what led them to this status and whether it relates to bank, credit card, financial, retail, utilities, protested securities, checks without funds or lawsuits checks. Consumers will also have information about lenders, such as telephones, address, email and website as well as the value of the debt and repayment date for the delayed debt. Additionally, the consumer can renegotiate the debt directly, without intermediaries, if the company is a partner of Serasa’s free service Limpa Nome Online. People can make a free online inquiry as often as they would like. To participate in the free online program, consumers must access serasaconsumidor.com.br and fill out a registration or enter an email address and password if already registered. The service is also available on mobile Apps Android and iOS. To properly verify the user accessing the information in Serasa, after the registration, the consumer must go through an authentication process. One of the steps is to enter the mobile number and confirm the validation code received via SMS. This validation is required only on the first access. For the director of SerasaConsumidor, Fernanda Monnerat, this new service presents the opportunity for consumers to easily and safely check the existence debts in a single digital environment. \"It\'s another tool that we provide to Brazilians so they can have access to services that make possible, above all, their financial citizenship and ability to build a more sustainable relationship with the credit. Therefore, we reaffirm once again the commitment of Serasa with the consumer,” said Monnerat. Among other free services available on the SerasaConsumidor website, consumers can opt-in to the positive data initiative, which gathers information on the consumer’s payment history, measures their payment timeliness of debts and evaluates the risk of debt distress. Through the program, it is also possible to make a document alert and stolen checks alert. Free registration in Serasa helps to reduce risk of fraud and to avoid the challenges of having personal information used by scammers. Also on the website, users will find guidelines and tests on financial education on the newly launched page www.serasaconsumidor.com.br/organizar-financas.
Experian, the global information services company, has identified five key factors currently making people and organisations more vulnerable to large-scale cyber fraud. Speaking at the renowned Merchant Risk Council EU Congress on May 19th in Seville, Spain, Experian’s Global Identity and Fraud Director, Hugh Steed, shared his insights with nearly 500 eCommerce fraud and payments professionals. A wealth of stolen data available to fraudsters. Wholesale data theft is one of the fastest growing crimes facing people and organisations today, with hundreds of millions of digital identities compromised every year. Fraudsters are increasingly targeting on-line credentials over previously preferred data, such as credit cards. The exponential growth of malware. After data breaches, malware is the criminal’s key method of obtaining digital identities. From mobile applications to traditional desktop platforms, malware manifests itself in many different forms and its volume is ever increasing. Fraudsters are targeting both end users and enterprises to acquire these valuable credentials for use in sophisticated frauds. The frequent username and password reuse by consumers. Experian’s research revealed that the majority of internet users consistently use a small set of usernames and passwords to secure multiple different accounts; including social media, email and online shopping sites. More specifically, people have on average up to 26 online accounts protected by only five different passwords. This greatly increases the risk that fraudsters can use data stolen from one source to successfully access other accounts held by the same user. An increase of multi-channel interaction between customers and business. People now have access to multiple digital and physical channels, enabling them to interact with businesses, manage accounts and make transactions. However, this diverse channel environment also facilitates the work of cyber criminals as each open channel is an opportunity to commit fraud and securing these channels is a significant challenge for enterprises. The trade-off between security and user experience. As companies consider the necessary steps required to increase online account security, they are conscious that they cannot risk adversely affecting the customer experience. Customers making transactions online today expect a seamless journey and are likely to be put off by onerous visible security procedures. Hugh commented: \"Experian’s research shows that fraud today is often a complex cycle that starts with data theft and proceeds through a set of discrete staging points, ending with a fraudulent transaction. “Rather than being instantaneous, the fraud process can span weeks or even months often with different criminal organisations involved and data changing hands. However, the very nature of this cycle means that there are systems that can be implemented to detect and stop such fraud early and before it causes losses that are significant in scale. To put things into context, for a handful of our largest customers alone, we have helped them detect and prevent fraud worth over $500 million dollars.” Felipe Fernandez-Atela, President of Experian in Spain, said: \"Protecting people and businesses from the threat of fraud is one of our main goals. In fact, companies using our fraud prevention solutions consistently outperform the industry benchmarks in areas such as ‘decline rates’ and ‘fraud rate by order’ – both of which are typically 15 times below the industry average. We have the expertise, both in our products, services and skills of our people to help ensure society is more protected against this type of crime.”
2,500 university students across 16 cities have been trained by Experian\'s experts and young volunteers of the social responsibility project ‘Manage Your Future Now’ project. The project, which was launched by Experian to promote self-improvement among university students, female entrepreneurs, and SMEs, reached the milestone in December and the achievement was celebrated at a recent event at the Experian office in Turkey. Coming from 10 cities across the country, 42 participants gathered to share their experiences. Feedback was positive with everyone agreeing that the project has been beneficial in increasing awareness of social responsibility. The participants were presented with a certificate for their commitment and contribution to the project. ‘Manage Your Future Now’ is a partnership between Experian, the United Nations Development Program and the Habitat Association/Center and Credit Bureau. The initiative includes providing training on financial risks, responsible borrowing, financial management and the efficient management of relationships with banks and the financial sector. Didem Köprücü, Human Resources Manager for Turkey and the Middle East at Experian, said: “We are proud that more people are benefiting under the ‘Manage Your Future Now’ project. Our training is improving every year and I would like to thank all the volunteers and young trainers for their valuable contribution. “The third stage of our project in 2016 will cover financial risk management, as well as financial opportunities for entrepreneur candidates. For this stage of the project we plan to reach 3,000 students and entrepreneur candidates across 26 cities. “However, we intend to continue our project, reaching more people every year.” The project aims to reach 3,000 students by the end of March 2016.
At the start of the Vision 2015 Conference, Experian® announced a new dedicated enterprise Fraud and ID business in North America. This newly established business unit allows Experian, the leading global information services company, to more aggressively address the growing variety of fraud risk and identity management challenges businesses, financial institutions and government agencies face.
Eighty-eight per cent of Australians say day-to-day expenses, rent or mortgage repayments, groceries and bills, are the most common roadblocks to paying down debt, according to new research by Experian, the global information services company. Experian research also showed 65 per cent of Australians incorrectly believe contributing to superannuation or saving money can have a positive impact on your credit score. Andy Sheehan, Managing Director of Credit Services at Experian said the figures not only highlight a knowledge gap when it comes to understanding credit worthiness but also the difficulty Australians face in paying down debt as the cost of living continues to rise1. “Australians are more reliant on credit now than ever before. The Australian Securities and investment Commission noted recently that the average Australian credit card debt in 2014 was more than 30 per cent higher than the year before,” he said. “We know that the most effective way to manage credit card debt is to pay it off in full each month however, we also know that many of us are aren’t able to manage our debt in this way2. Our research suggests that about 19 per cent of Australians pay only the minimum repayment on their credit card and five per cent of those people prefer to put extra cash in savings instead of paying down their debt. “How we manage debt has a major impact on our life. While saving is important, it’s also important to make paying down debt one of your priorities,” said Sheehan. Unsurprisingly, one in three Australians who participated in the survey (33 per cent) said they were nervous about their ability to access and manage credit and according to the research, their concerns are justified. Sheehan explained there is a significant lack of consumer understanding about the behaviours that impact creditworthiness, particularly when it comes to savings and superannuation. “Australians are too busy ‘getting by’ to worry about their creditworthiness. Our research shows that Australians are alarmingly misinformed when it comes to credit reports. In overseas markets, consumers are more empowered to take charge of their credit profile, actively manage their credit reputation and use it to get a better deal. In order for this to become the norm here, Australians need to be better informed and more proactive with their credit reputation,” said Sheehan. The new figures show we still have a long way to go. The research shows that only 23 per cent of Australians actually understand what a credit score is and how it is used by lenders to grant credit. Sheehan said comprehensive credit reporting was a step in the right direction as it will encourage people to become more aware of their positioning in the credit landscape. “Comprehensive credit reporting is good news for consumers. The negative credit reporting system doesn’t take good credit behaviour into account. Australians deserve to be recognised for good financial behaviour and this should be reflected in our credit report to enable better deals,” explained Sheehan. Additional findings from the research show: A further 19 per cent of Australians incorrectly believe that having multiple lines of credit open can positively impact their creditworthiness 40 per cent of Australians have up to three lines of credit available to them that they use infrequently 60 per cent of people said their bank is meeting or exceeding their expectations on providing information about their credit profile, compared to just 45 per cent in February 2014 People should also be aware that they can access their credit reports from Experian for free at any time. It is a good idea for them to do this to help prevent identity theft and confirm the accuracy of their credit history. Consumers looking to receive a copy of their free credit report and score can do so by visiting the Experian Credit Services website or for general service enquiries consumers may call Experian Credit Services on 1300 783 684.