Sports retailer JJB is showing the red card to fraudsters as its online sales of England shirts rocket in the run up to the World Cup.

JJB is one of the first online sports retailers to adopt a revolutionary approach to fraud screening, which is causing fewer genuine football fans to be turned away empty handed.
The innovative technology, called Gatekeeper, is the only service on the market that does not screen internet payments in 'real time'. As a result, snap decisions to reject genuine customers can be avoided.

"It seems commonplace for genuine online customers to be turned away, we wanted to be different and we wanted to make sure this was not happening at our online store," said Richard Hodson of JJB.

The Gatekeeper software, designed by established fraud screening experts at The 3rd Man, differs from other fraud detection software because it does not make decisions to reject a payment card instantly. All payments get through the initial 'acceptance' stage, after which full and rigorous checks are conducted. As a result, more genuine customers are given the green light, and crooks using even the most advanced fraud techniques are identified. The process is quick and can be tailored to suit individual needs. 

JJB also has plans in the pipeline to use the software for the launch of new sites linked to its recent partnerships with Glasgow Rangers Football Club and Everton FC. Richard added: "We are close to launching sites that relate to our recent deals with the two clubs, as well as some other transactional websites directed at more specific sports areas. This is an exciting time for JJB and we are confident that The 3rd Man will continue to successfully protect us and our customers from fraud."

Gatekeeper, a secure web-based system, lets every order go through, but puts them in a quarantine period where extensive off-line checks can easily be completed out of sight of the customer and with no impact on them. Within an agreed period The 3rd Man will return a risk score and only high risk transactions will then remain in the quarantine area. All other transactions are released. The only transactions to be delayed for longer than 20 minutes are those high risk transactions that require review.

The 3rd Man is the only fraud screening company using this model, and some of the biggest names in online, over the phone and catalogue fraud are recognising the benefits. Paul Simms of The 3rd Man says Gatekeeper is revolutionising fraud screening, and is fast becoming the industry standard. He said: "Millions of pounds are lost every year in the UK, because genuine customers are having their cards turned away, and the big chains are turning to us to stop it happening."