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It is likely just a GeoIP database and some basic user agent heuristics. I've worked at places that claimed stuff like this in public, and when you got to see b

It is likely just a GeoIP database and some basic user agent heuristics. I've worked at places that claimed stuff like this in public, and when you got to see behind the curtain it was a huge disappointment. The people who really spend big bucks on this stuff are the ad-networks. Click-fraud is hugely costly to them, so determining "real" users (and the quality/type of user) is huge multi-billion dollar stuff. Creepy, but it works.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago
Surely the bank giving the wrong people their money is a huge problem too? I know they mitigate it by trying to claim it's a customer's money and not their responsibility, but that doesn't always work for them.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
  It works enough. They've managed to push the term "identity theft" into the public consciousness as a description of the problem, when the real problem is that they can't be bothered to actually identify people.
thaumasiotes 7y ago
It's considerably better than that. Some examples: The first time I went to China, I tried to pay for something with a debit card and my account got locked. I had to call the bank to OK it. Subsequently, being in China has never been a problem, though I don't bother to tell the bank where I am at any given time. On the other hand, after a trip to Georgia (the US state), my card information was apparently skimmed and used to make a fraudulent purchase, in Georgia, a week later. My legitimate purchases on the trip triggered no alarms, but the fraudulent one triggered a phone call to me alerting me that the bank had detected suspicious behavior on my account. I'm still amazed they could tell the difference.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  My bank has SMS alerts, I can ok a suspicious transaction just by saying Y. I also chose HSBC because they have branches in China, otherwise they are not a great bank.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  The simplest heuristic I can think of is that if you made another purchase yourself not long before or after the fraudsters did, it's easy to tell that you'd have to go supersonic for both transactions to be valid.
  - paranoidrobot 7y ago
    Reminds me of a video on the VINWiki youtube channel[1]. The tl;dr: Apparently Amex have some algorithm that includes flights and road travel options. Doing a Canonball Run (very high speed driving from one side of the US to another) triggers that. [1] Relevant portion starts at roughly https://youtu.be/HkZNddd9Pxc?t=354 https://youtu.be/HkZNddd9Pxc?t=354
- jedberg 7y ago
  They most likely saw a bunch of charges from the same place at the same time and yours was one of them. They were probably card running and got caught.
  - dpark 7y ago
    Or the purchase was made online. I had that happen to me. I was in Detroit. A couple of weeks later an online purchase was made (from Detroit) and flagged.
    - thaumasiotes 7y ago
      Probably not; if I'm remembering right, the fraudulent purchase was at a gas station.
      - dpark 7y ago
        Good on them for catching that one, then!

pbhjpbhj 7y ago

Surely the bank giving the wrong people their money is a huge problem too? I know they mitigate it by trying to claim it's a customer's money and not their responsibility, but that doesn't always work for them.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
It works enough. They've managed to push the term "identity theft" into the public consciousness as a description of the problem, when the real problem is that they can't be bothered to actually identify people.

thaumasiotes 7y ago

It's considerably better than that. Some examples: The first time I went to China, I tried to pay for something with a debit card and my account got locked. I had to call the bank to OK it. Subsequently, being in China has never been a problem, though I don't bother to tell the bank where I am at any given time. On the other hand, after a trip to Georgia (the US state), my card information was apparently skimmed and used to make a fraudulent purchase, in Georgia, a week later. My legitimate purchases on the trip triggered no alarms, but the fraudulent one triggered a phone call to me alerting me that the bank had detected suspicious behavior on my account. I'm still amazed they could tell the difference.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago
My bank has SMS alerts, I can ok a suspicious transaction just by saying Y. I also chose HSBC because they have branches in China, otherwise they are not a great bank.
TeMPOraL 7y ago
The simplest heuristic I can think of is that if you made another purchase yourself not long before or after the fraudsters did, it's easy to tell that you'd have to go supersonic for both transactions to be valid.
- paranoidrobot 7y ago
  Reminds me of a video on the VINWiki youtube channel[1]. The tl;dr: Apparently Amex have some algorithm that includes flights and road travel options. Doing a Canonball Run (very high speed driving from one side of the US to another) triggers that. [1] Relevant portion starts at roughly https://youtu.be/HkZNddd9Pxc?t=354 https://youtu.be/HkZNddd9Pxc?t=354
jedberg 7y ago
They most likely saw a bunch of charges from the same place at the same time and yours was one of them. They were probably card running and got caught.
- dpark 7y ago
  Or the purchase was made online. I had that happen to me. I was in Detroit. A couple of weeks later an online purchase was made (from Detroit) and flagged.
  - thaumasiotes 7y ago
    Probably not; if I'm remembering right, the fraudulent purchase was at a gas station.
    - dpark 7y ago
      Good on them for catching that one, then!