INCREASED SECURITY FOR CROSS-BORDER MAESTRO TRANSACTIONS
Commerzbank and First Data enhance their services for fraud prevention

Frankfurt, September 10, 2009

First Data Corp., a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing services, has enhanced its fraud prevention services for Maestro transactions. Commerzbank, a leading European bank, is one of the first banks in Germany to use First Data’s new fraud management solution, which helps to increase the security of cross-border Maestro transactions.
The solution can be implemented quickly and easily for any financial institution that processes cross-border debit transactions through First Data’s German operations.
First Data’s fraud management solution, called ‘Riskshield’, comprises a number of integrated components that help to protect systems and processes from attack. The solution works by detecting potentially fraudulent transactions and referring these to experienced risk specialists. Fraud patterns are identified as quickly as possible, fraud risks assessed and responses initiated. In serious cases, cross-border authorisation requests can be blocked temporarily.
Jörg Gruner, senior product manager of Fraud Prevention at First Data, said: “For banks, effective security management in the card business is becoming increasingly important. At First Data we combine processing security expertise, market knowledge and industry leading technology to help banks detect and prevent fraud.”
Sylvia Vandeven, manager at Commerzbank, expressed confidence in new system: “In the test period we were able to limit and therefore reduce fraud significantly after only a few weeks.”

For more information:
Claudia Klein, First Data
+49 (0) 69 7933-1686 
claudia.klein@firstdata.de