Card Skimming Essay Example for Free

Card Skimming Essay Credit Card Fraud is one of the biggest threats to business establishments today. Originally, credit cards simply carried raised numbers that were transferred to a carbon copy with a card-swiping machine. The merchant simply accepted any card presented. Spending limits and printed lists of lost/stolen cards were ineffective in preventing fraud and other financial losses. Merchants were required to telephone a transaction authorization center to get pre-approval of the transaction. The volume of telephone traffic grew too great, and more automated authorization systems allowed faster, easier, and verified transactions. Magnetic stripes on the backs of these payment cards started to appear and that allowed computers to be used at both ends of the call. The raised letters and numbers on the plastic cards are now rarely used or even read. This then gave rise to â€Å"skimming† devices that could be used by some unscrupulous persons to electronically scan and save the information from many customers cards. Techniques such as skimming, in which criminals capture card information and personal-identification numbers, have existed for years, often on a small scale. A growing security concern with Skimming devices is the possible release of the user’s personal information or location to unauthorized parties. So, what is now needed is a way to increase the security of payment card use at merchant locations. Problem Statement Credit Card Fraud poses one of the greatest risks to businesses nowadays. As card business transactions increase, so too do frauds. According to the Jamaica Observer dated March 2010 â€Å"The National Commercial Bank (NCB) yesterday revealed that it lost more than J$100 million to credit card fraud last year, put merchants on guard against what it said was a rising problem†. Most cases of counterfeit fraud involve skimming. The fraudulent activity on a card affects everybody, i.e., the cardholder, the merchant, the acquirer as well as the issuer (bank). Several methods have been proposed in order to stop this. One such method adopted is a method of chips  built into the card adding a layer of protection. The good news is that technology for preventing credit card frauds is improving with the passage of time. Purpose Statement This paper will describe the development of a system to provide real time detection of fraud attempt so as to increase the security payment of credit cards use at merchant POS locations. Research Questions What is credit card fraud? What is skimming? How are cards skimmed and reproduced? What are the implications of credit card fraud? Can this type of fraud be prevented? If so, how can this type of fraud be prevented? Significance About J$245.1 million has been lost to credit card fraud in Jamaica for 2009 (Jamaica Observer). In 2010 Europe, which has faced a bigger problem than the U.S.A saw card-skimming attacks jump 24% in the first six months to 5,743, the largest six-month number since data gathering began in 2004, according to the European ATM Security Team, a non-profit group. Consumers face trouble trying to get fraudulent charges reversed, merchants lose the cost of the products sold have to pay chargeback fees and fear from the risk of having their merchant account closed and loss of reputation. The issuers and acquirers also have to make huge investments in preventing frauds by deploying sophisticated IT systems for detection of fraudulent transactions. They also face financial and product losses, fines, loss of reputation and possibly loss of license if not compliant to credit card standards. This research study could provide information on how to help maintain the cost of fraud and losses due to f raud and help to put this at a manageable level. It will help acquirers and issuers to equip themselves with a counterattack to possible threats and that can help protect the user and the merchant from fraud. Definition of Terms Credit Card Fraud is defined as when an individual uses another individuals’ credit card for personal reasons while the owner of the card and the card issuer are not aware of the fact that the card is being used. Card Skimming is a process where genuine data on a card’s magnetic stripe is electronically copied onto another. References List http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/NCB-puts-customers-on-credit-card-guard_7505969http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703688704575621122308129984http://quotes.wsj.com/IT

The Hostility Between Gene and Finny in A Separate Peace by John Knowle

The Hostility Between Gene and Finny in A Separate Peace by John Knowles Gene feels increasing hostility toward Finny before his fall from the tree. In the novel A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles, the hostility between Gene and Finny increase because of the competition inside of them both to be better then one another. It is about the increasing competition between Gene and Finny and the hostility it brings. The hostility finally burst inside Gene and for one instant it takes over. It makes him do something he will always regret. Gene’s increasing hostility towards Finny finally brings the down fall of their friendship. Gene’s first form of hostility toward Finny was the realization that Finny could get away with anything. First instance was when Finny was wearing his emblem, the pink button-down shirt, and Mr. Patch-Withers came up to him. Mr. Patch-Withers ask him about the shirt and Finny told him the meaning of the shirt. As he explained the substitute headmaster became more amused about the situation and allowed Finny to get away with breaking the school dress code. After this instance Gene admitted to being envious of Finny in this Quote, â€Å"I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying him that a little, which is perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little.† (18) In this quote Gene is just saying that he envies his best friend for some thing that he can’t do. This situation is the first of many forms of hostility towards Finny that brings about the incident in the tree. At the Patch-Withers party anther sign of Gene’s increasing envy towards Finny is shown. This happens when Finny again gets away with breaking the dress code. At the party when discussing the bombing of Europe, Mr. Patch-Withers discovers that Finny is wearing the school tie with his pink shirt. With some quick anecdotes about how his shirt is a contribution to the war effort and also be glad he wore a belt because his pants could fall down. With these quick anecdotes Finny got away with it, gave Mr. Patch-Withers a good laugh and enraged Gene’s envy towards Finny. Gene gave this quote about the instance, â€Å"He (Finny) had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment........† (21) Gene really does not know what he is feeling he says, but deep down it is hi... ...out to wreck my studies. That explained blitzball, that explained the nightly meetings of the Super Suicide Society.............Sure he wanted to share everything with me , especially his D’s in every subject. That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity.† (45) Gene thinks he was doing this by cramming his schedule with clubs and sports so that he won’t have time to study and wreck his school grades. Then Finny can be better than him at everything. Gene’s misunderstanding of Finny, not understanding that Gene did need to study and that it did not come naturally, enraged Gene more making him ready to explode. â€Å"I (Finny) didn’t know you needed to study.† (50) When Finny said this Gene took it way out of proportion making it Gene’s final straw. Gene was so enraged that he could not take it that Finny only meant that brains came natural. With the final straw gone Gene lost it. His mind was in such confusion that he followed Finny out to the tree. He climbed up it, and with out any regard for human life, Gene exploded. He shook the limb making Finny lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Othello and Family Guy

Othello Cast inspired by the characters of Michaela N Cleveland Brown as Othello Cleveland Brown is overall a kind person with a hot temper. He becomes jealous easily, especially in terms of his marriage and wife. Cleveland trusts his friends to a fault, and is dim-witted. All these traits strike a strong resemblance to Othello. Similar to Othello, Cleveland racially does not fit in among friends, and both are treated different as a result. Both men also are trusted by their friends, and care more about what is going to make them happy in the moment, rather than long term.Cleveland and Othello tend to speak coarsely and slowly, as opposed to those who they mingle with. Othello and Cleveland furthermore are laid back. The men usually are the puppets of their mates, going with the flow and believing the most ridiculous of things. Cleveland represents Shakespeare's Othello quite perfectly. Brian as Iago Brian is extremely intelligent, logical, and rational character. He is trusted, but not loyal to those who trust him. His motivations are not always clear or obvious.Brian is thought of as â€Å"man's best friend† but he doesn't act that way. He is generally mean spirited, quick-tempered, and has a sarcastic, dry, yet hilarious, sense of humor. These traits bear resemblance to Iago, Othello's enemy. Iago and Brian are also manipulative, deceptive, and untrustworthy. Both characters lack a sense of emotion and compassion, as they are willing to do things, like kill friends or a wife, easily. Brian has a crush on Louis, and Iago is taken by Desdemona.Together they have a love-hate relationship with women, enjoying them physically, but annoyed with femininity and emotional drama. Iago and Brian mirror each other perfectly. Lois as Desdemona Lois is a complex, sweet, yet dark, jealous, and somewhat cold-hearted woman. She is known to cheat, be devious, and be extremely flirtatious, which in turn gets her into trouble. She loves her husband, but doesn't have a pr oblem with being unfaithful to him. She is known to be a beauty, and to have left her father to pursue a crazy lifestyle.Lois is a strong, independent woman despite being a wife. She furthermore has a bewitching affect over men, and she uses this gift to get what she wants. Desdemona is very much like Lois in all this attributes. Desdemona seems innocent but is truly brilliantly mischievous. Both are smart, but don't always think before they act. They are both comparable, thus match beautifully. Joe Swanson as Michael Cassio Joe makes a perfect Cassio. Joe is a police officer, just as Cassio is a lieutenant.Joe is devoted, loyal, moral, masculine, buff, admirable, and honorable. Cassio in ‘Othello' is also very much like this. Glenn Quagmire as Roderigo Roderigo is rich, rather foolish, too trusting of Iago, and interested in Desdemona. Quagmire is also well off, acts unintelligently, and is interested in women to an extreme. Both men are so obsessed over a certain woman they will do whatever it takes. They trust their friends to a fault and lack compassion. Both men exemplify immaturity too. Therefore, Quagmire and Roderigo quite nicely pair up.Bonnie as Bianca Bianca and Bonnie were prostitutes, loved fame and a title. They spoke softly and meaningfully. ‘ Carter as Brabanzio Carter is fatherly, rich, over-protective of his daughter, self-important, powerful, devious, blustering, and gets angry with his daughter's husband numerously. Brabanzio is also fatherly, a senator, very protective of his daughter, devious, blubbering, self-intelligible, and is upset when his daughter leaves him for Othello. Both men hate their sons-in-law with a fiery passion. They are two of a kind.

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