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The co-founders of Trustev, Chris Kennedy and Pat Phelan Trustev.com

Anti-fraud startup does away with bills (at least for ID purposes)

Cork-based startup Trustev, which prevents online fraud by using your social media accounts, is bringing the same verification process to physical stores.

CORK-BASED STARTUP Trustev is doing away with the idea of needing a bill as proof of identity. Instead, it’s using your social media account the next time you purchase something in-store.

The company, which specialises in online fraud prevention through real-time verification, is bringing its services to physical stores with the launch of Retail Decisions.

The service follows the same format as its online counterpart – customers use their Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account to verify their identity before purchasing goods – but instead of happening online, customers log in through an iOS and Android app via a store tablet.

The service would remove the need for customers to bring in documents such as utility bills and bank accounts as proof of their identity.

For those who are worried about logging into their Facebook account while in a store, The CMO of Trustev, Donal Calahane, says that the service connects to your account for “about two seconds” before automatically logging out and deletes all traces of your profile.

Instead, the service looks at the metadata of an account to verify a person’s identity.

The app, in the way that it’s constructed, is very clear [in what it does]. We connect to your Facebook for about two seconds, and you’re immediately logged out, we delete all traces.

We don’t look at the English language… or the content, we look at the metadata behind it.

Calahane said the feature came after working with UK telecom companies who wanted its online fraud-prevention services to be available in-store.

image

One of the screens presented when asked to log in. Those who don’t have a Facebook account can use alternative accounts to verify their identity (Image: Trustev)

The two problems faced with current services is that those working in the store aren’t qualified to check documents to see whether you’re telling the truth, and the actual checking of these documents doesn’t actually happen until much later.

As a result, one of the phone providers the startup worked with lost £300,000 worth in handsets in December because of fraudulent documents being submitted in-store.

Currently, the service is trialing with two European telecom companies based in the UK, but the service has already gathered interest from other industries such as banks who would use it to create “a situation where someone can walk into a bank and walk out with a fully-functioning account,” according to Calahane.

The company is also talking to a number of companies in Ireland and it expects to see a number of businesses and stores adopt the service soon.

It (the service) started in the UK because that’s where the customer request came from, but we are talking to a number of companies in Ireland. We would expect within two months to have it up and running in a number of Irish businesses.

Trustev has received a number of accolades since it was founded in 2012. The startup was named the EU’s best technology startup in June and was named one of Forbes’ hot global startup.

The service currently has more than 100 customers for its online service, and processes more than 250,000 records every day.

Read: Scammers are going ‘phishing’ for Revenue customer details >

Read: Two Passport office employees arrested in new fraud investigation >

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14 Comments
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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    May 19th 2014, 11:39 AM

    Any sign of Bebo making a comeback at all?

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    Mute Byyys
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    May 19th 2014, 1:42 PM

    Bebo have recently released apps on iTunes but not on android as of yet… blab is one app bebo recently released. Video sharing. You dont hear about them tho. I cant wait for fb to die away. Mark Zuckerberg just steals other ideas if he can’t buy them out first. I deleted whatsapp when I heard fb acquired it.

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    Mute jar.ie
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    May 19th 2014, 1:44 PM

    Actually yes. They’re set to release a host of apps rather than a website. They already have an app out called Blab which is something pretty similar to this new facebook video message thingy.

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    Mute Shane Kelly
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    May 19th 2014, 12:24 PM

    I for one wont be trusting facebook with all of my photos/videos that I send with snapchat. You can shove yer slingshot up yer slinghole

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    Mute Deathstroke
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    May 19th 2014, 12:50 PM

    You realise Snapchat were storing pics/vids for a time too, right? Presuming you have a Facebook account, you’ve agreed to any terms and conditions they’ve put in, and your details are theirs already.

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    Mute OU812
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    May 19th 2014, 11:48 AM

    Should have taken the $3b.

    Why the hell would you turn that down? There’s nothing you can buy with a cent over $3b that you can’t buy with a cent under it.

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    Mute Trevor W
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    May 19th 2014, 12:52 PM

    You can’t buy a steady flow of regular users for $3bn. That’s what they are after not the actual app itself.

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    Mute Keith Wizzy
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    May 19th 2014, 12:06 PM

    They want total control of everything. Scary stuff.

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    Mute Hippocrateeth
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    May 19th 2014, 12:26 PM

    Not that scary, just handy. It’s just a messaging service.

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    Mute The Doctor
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    May 19th 2014, 3:59 PM

    You mean it’s just another messaging service.

    How many different ways do people need to talk to the same people?

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    Mute Seamus Mcfinnigan O Reily
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    May 19th 2014, 12:11 PM

    fockbook

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    Mute Ruth Barry
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    May 19th 2014, 12:30 PM

    BaceF&ok

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    Mute Aisling Hayes
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    May 19th 2014, 12:05 PM

    Really wish they’d release Paper over here, have heard great things about it from an American friend.

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    Mute OU812
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    May 19th 2014, 12:13 PM

    Just create an account in the American store, it’s free. Need a different email address, but if you use gmail, just add a period somewhere in your namez

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    Mute OU812
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    May 19th 2014, 12:14 PM

    “Namez”???

    I’m so hip & down with the kids…

    Either that or fat fingers…

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    Mute Aisling Hayes
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    May 19th 2014, 12:14 PM

    Really? Thank you!

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    Mute Louise Ní Riain
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    May 19th 2014, 2:33 PM

    Faceslap

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