Early Warning identifies Yahoo as fraudsters preferred email service provider

Added: (Tue Jul 18 2006)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Early Warning - specialists in Card Not Present fraud protection for Internet retailers - has today announced that Yahoo.com comes in at No 1 in its list of top ten email addresses used by online card fraudsters.
Early Warnings unique database of fraudsters now runs to tens of thousands of entries, with subscribers to its CardAware protection service adding thousands more each month. Analysis of the last three years data reveals the following table:

1. Yahoo.com
2. Yahoo.co.uk
3. Hotmail.com
4. AOL.com
5. Hotmail.co.uk
6. Parrot.com
7. Postmaster.com
8. Lycos.co.uk
9. Lycos.com
10. Msn.com

Email service provider refuses help!

An email address is a vital tool for Internet cheats, as without it they find it very difficult to place orders online or commit online ID theft.
Early Warnings MD Andrew Goodwill comments: In the light of the findings, I contacted Yahoos legal department in the UK. I suggested that once we had identified email addresses belonging to Yahoo that had been used to commit online credit card fraud, we would be willing to disclose this information automatically to them, so they could block the offending accounts immediately. They declined our offer, saying that they only co-operate with the police in these matters. I strongly believe the verification process undertaken once a free e-mail address is set up is totally inadequate and allows criminals to continue their illegal acts. We should be putting pressure on these e-mail companies to clean up their acts and take responsibility for what their customers do.

Moira Powley, Director of online store theprinterdatabase.com, said:
"Do you Yahoo?

Well, if you do, then I’m afraid we will assume you are a fraudster! Why?
Because the majority of fraudulent attempts to buy online using a stolen identity have Yahoo! free email addresses. So, when we see Fred.Bloggs@yahoo.co.uk, we assume it is fraud. Identity theft is big business - why is it so easy to steal someone’s online identity in this way?

Retailers need Early Warning
Andrew Goodwill established the Early Warning website in September 2002 as a direct responseto the growing threat of CNP credit-card fraud.

The web-based scheme, CardAware, which can be found at www.early-warning.org.uk, is designed as a repository for bogus or fraudulent credit card orders. Subscribers to CardAware can check their own online credit card orders against a database of known frauds, as well as contributing information on frauds that they have discovered themselves. Email alerts for all new frauds are also sent to those members requesting them.

Since its inception, Early Warning UK has saved on-line traders from fraudulent transactions worth over £5 million. CardAware now has several hundred active subscribers who have contributed details of thousands of known frauds to the database. Many of theseb traders are well-