Press Releases

Debit card fraud at gas stations declines by 60 per cent

Toronto, Ontario; December 14, 2006 – Interac Association today reported that debit card fraud at gas stations across Canada has declined by more than 60 per cent over the past year. The deep decline, representing about $15 million in avoided fraud losses, was largely the result of Project Protect, a joint education initiative spearheaded by Interac Association and law enforcement with support from Payment Card Partners and other industry partners.

The program, which launched in November 2005, educates gas retail owners, managers and employees about payment card fraud and how they can help prevent it from occurring at their location.

"Project Protect was directly targeted at gas stations in Southern Ontario to significantly reduce and ultimately eliminate debit card fraud from occurring at all locations," said LeAnne Thorfinnson, VP, Operations, Interac Association. "While fraud continues to be a growing problem, the reduction of debit card fraud in the gas retail sector is a step in the right direction and demonstrates how we're making it more difficult for fraudsters to operate in Canada."

Project Protect is a program in which law enforcement officers visit gas stations to educate management and their employees about payment card fraud. The program provides training for front-line officers and equips merchants with valuable tips to prevent payment card fraud from occurring in their locations. In addition, in regions across Canada where Project Protect is not operating, Interac Association works with its members to provide gas retailers with educational material and security tips.

"Since the launch of Project Protect, we have seized skimming equipment, made arrests and seen an increase in the number of gas station employees reporting attempted skimming incidents," said Acting Detective Brian Wintermute, Peel Regional Police. "The success of Project Protect clearly demonstrates that education is an important tool in the fight against fraud."

In September 2006, Project Protect was rolled out across Ontario and into other retail sectors with the support of the Ontario Provincial Police, Retail Council of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

"We're pleased with the collaborative efforts of all the partners involved in this successful project," said Thorfinnson. "Aggressive law enforcement action combined with extensive merchant education can significantly impact debit card fraud activity."

Interac Association has one of the most secure networks in the world. Billions of transactions occur every year, with 99.99 per cent of them conducted without any issue. In the instance that debit card fraud does occur, consumers are protected by the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Debit Card Services which ensures that all victims of debit card fraud will not suffer any financial losses.

About Project Protect

Project Protect is a collaborative crime prevention program between law enforcement and community partners. The program is aimed at educating retail owners, managers and employees about payment card fraud and how they can help prevent it.

Peel Regional Police in partnership with eight Southern Ontario law enforcement agencies, Interac Association, the major credit card companies and participating gas retailers first launched Project Protect in November 2005.

In September 2006, the Ontario Provincial Police expanded the program across Ontario with support from the Retail Council of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

About Interac Association

Formed in 1984, Interac Association is a not-for-profit organization composed of members representing banks, trust companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, technology and payment related companies. Interac Association is responsible for the development of the national network for two shared electronic financial services: Interac Direct Payment, Canada's national debit card service and Interac Shared Cash Dispensing service for cash withdrawals at Automated Banking Machines.