Credit Card Abuse, Again

Employees of a call center in Bremen, Germany allegedly have abused the credit cards of customers of British Airways. This has been reported be the TV magazine "buten un binnen". A team manager has been arrested. Certainly this is only the tip of the iceberg.

It is well known and accepted that credit cards offer no security all. Users will reclaim their money, if they read their credit card statement. Fraud costs will be distributed to the general public via insurances and merchant fees.

However, a normal smart card won't fix this because it can't be used with a call center. The only viable options here are the internet with secure online banking and OTP. Both options require that dedicated security hardware is used by the end customer. There is no free lunch.