Digital River Offers MasterCard SecureCode to Help Prevent Unauthorized Online Card Purchases

MINNEAPOLIS-- Digital River, Inc., a global leader in e-commerce outsourcing, today announced that it is offering its client base of online merchants MasterCard(R) SecureCode, an innovative new security tool from MasterCard International. Approximately 13,000 Digital River hosted e-commerce sites are currently using MasterCard's authentication technology to help verify cardholder identity and prevent the unauthorized use of credit and debit cards online.

Combined with Digital River's existing, multi-level fraud prevention program, MasterCard SecureCode adds an additional layer of protection that can minimize payment card losses for Digital River's online merchants. SecureCode also can help increase consumers' confidence in the security of their accounts and e-commerce purchases.

"Digital River manages worldwide e-commerce operations for tens of thousands of businesses," said Marty Boos, chief information officer at Digital River. "By offering our clients additional security tools, we can help them maximize investments in their e-commerce operations, while providing their consumers added fraud protection. We believe our working together with MasterCard is indicative of a movement in the Internet community to find more ways for businesses to collaborate to drive confidence in the security of e-commerce transactions."

Online merchants can add SecureCode to the checkout process on their Digital River hosted e-commerce site. When shoppers enter their card information on a merchant's Web site bearing the SecureCode brandmark, they are prompted to enter their personal SecureCode by a special window or screen presented by their card issuer. MasterCard SecureCode enables cardholders to choose a code known only to them - similar to a PIN for a bank ATM transaction. In a matter of seconds, the card issuer confirms that it is the cardholder making the purchase and authorizes the transaction for the merchant.

"With the online shopping channel more secure, merchants can focus on what they do best - providing great service to customers. MasterCard is committed to providing online authentication for Internet merchants and creating a more secure shopping experience for consumers," said Stephen Orfei, senior vice president, e-Commerce Center of Excellence, MasterCard International. "MasterCard SecureCode offers a powerful solution that addresses global Internet security concerns and extends an important payment guarantee to merchants doing business online."