The fourth session at the IAMAI summit on Online Travel focused on payments and security: As per Sanjay Aggarwal, GM (Operations) of IRCTC, banks has infrastructure issues, and are difficult to deal with without over 1 million transactions. ISP’s don’t speak to each other at interchange points. Public perception is most important. 30 days for a refund is too long, and the press highlights online fraud, when card data is actually stolen offline. 3D security help bring fraud at IRCTC down from 0.1 percent to 0.05 percent. Cash cards (ITZ, Done) have issues with lack of “Know Your Customer” (KYC) norms, but they’ve provided IRCTC with Rs. 16 crore of transactions each month.

Vivek Nayak, COO of Interactive Avenues Avenues India suggested that OTAs stop looking to the government for help, and take initiatives to look after their own interests. Belson Coutinho, head of e-commerce for Jet Airways recommended distribution of accountability for fraud – why should it lie only with merchants? All OTAs get the IP of customers, but there’s no response from the cyber-crime cell or the ISPs. Merchants are fighting online fraud alone. Formal industry collaboration would help devise standards for fraud reporting and sharing of negative lists. He also recommended devising mobile alerts to card holders after every transaction.

As per Visa data, said Harish Natarajan, Country Risk Manager (South Asia) for Visa International, the fraud sales ratio in India is close to 3 percent, as compared to 0.65 percent in APAC. The trend is that high traffic routes are targeted, within a day of the theft. Local groups offer tickets to travelers through agents. Anupama Salvi, director, new business development, Avenues India said she checked into a hotel and found credit card details were being entered manually, without characters mased - data security norms are not adhered to, safer options like like netbanking shoudl be promoted. Prosecution agencies should be empowered.