MasterCard Reunites Top Fraud Fighters at Third Annual Global Risk Management Symposium; Company Also Reports Success of 'Operation STOP IT' Anti-Fraud Campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2005--MasterCard International is assembling a host of industry leaders to explore better ways to communicate, collaborate and cooperate in fighting fraud at the third annual MasterCard Global Risk Management Symposium, taking place in Washington, DC, from May 10 to May 12.

More than 300 professionals from law enforcement, financial services and other related industries are expected to attend to learn about new tools and strategies to fight payment card fraud. In addition, participants will discuss innovations in technology and the latest products and services. Those expected to speak at the symposium include the Honorable W. Ralph Basham, director of the United States Secret Service, and Betsy Broder, assistant director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection for the Federal Trade Commission.

“The MasterCard Global Risk Management Symposium represents an important step forward in the fight against payment card fraud”

"The MasterCard Global Risk Management Symposium represents an important step forward in the fight against payment card fraud," said Sergio Pinon, senior vice president, Security and Risk Services, MasterCard International. "Many of the best and brightest in security and risk will be sharing their knowledge on how to beat fraudsters."

Last year at the second annual symposium in San Diego, MasterCard launched "Operation STOP IT (Identity Theft)," an initiative that works to aggressively pre-empt and shut down cyber scams.

Since the program's inception in June 2004, Operation STOP IT has successfully shut down nearly 1,400 phishing sites and over 750 sites that purported to illegally sell credit card information. The program also has led to the discovery and protection of more than 35,000 MasterCard account numbers that were in jeopardy of being compromised.

As a result of the success of Operation STOP IT, NameProtect Inc, the company with which MasterCard partnered to launch the fraud fighting program, is now offering NameProtection, an expanded version of the program to MasterCard customer financial institutions. At an exclusive reduced rate, MasterCard customer financial institutions can access a new suite of technology and services to help prevent phishing attacks and other fraud.

Moreover, the positive results are reflected in the recent spate of identity theft-related arrests the U.S. Secret Service has been able to make with the help of information gathered by Operation STOP IT. In late October, the Secret Service announced the arrest of 27 computer and credit card fraudsters, which may have prevented hundreds of millions of dollars of loss. The investigation also has resulted in a significant disruption of cyber criminal activity targeting the financial infrastructure of the United States and demonstrates how industry and law enforcement can cooperate to trounce these types of crimes.

"Compound the successful results of this initiative by the multitude of other programs and systems that MasterCard already has in place to protect against fraud, and it is easy to see how much progress is being made to win the war against payment fraud," said Pinon.

Hosting these symposia is part of MasterCard's ongoing efforts to implement advanced fraud prevention and detection processes, techniques and tools, as well as to create an environment for top experts to share best practices.

About MasterCard International

MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members' credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard International manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment cards brands including MasterCard(R), Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R) and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless(R) advertising campaign is now seen in 96 countries and in 48 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com or refer to our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.