Two new patents underpin Eckoh's US revenue and deliver payment innovation

Eckoh has been notified by the US Patent and Trademark Office that it will be awarded two new patents for its unique secure payment solution - CallGuard, and its concept for improving security of phone payments.

Eckoh plc (AIM:ECK), the global provider of secure payment products and customer contact solutions, has received 'notice of allowance', indicating that a patent will be granted for the innovative audio tokenization process which helps Eckoh deliver its industry-leading contact center de-scoping solution, CallGuard.

CallGuard offers contact centers a simple way to take payments securely, and comply with PCI DSS requirements. It prevents payment card data from entering the contact center environment.

In 2015, Eckoh was awarded a US patent for part of its CallGuard offering but this new announcement ensures that all Eckoh US revenue from secure payments products is underpinned by at least one patent.

Eckoh's CallGuard solution addresses an increasing problem: the rise in Card Not Present (CNP) fraud, especially in contact centers. In the US CNP fraud cost $5.2 billion in 2016^[1], and is projected to rise to $7 billion by 2020.^[2] With over a third of Card Not Present fraud taking place in contact centers, it's an issue which needs to be taken seriously.

Eckoh's audio tokenization process automatically replaces real card data with 'placeholders'. The placeholders flow through a contact center's telephony and data networks, so the environment and agents are no longer exposed to customers' sensitive payment data.

The second 'notice of allowance' is for a US patent for a revolutionary concept which can provide an even more secure way for merchants to take a payment on a phone call.

Historically, it has been difficult to authenticate that a caller to a contact center is the genuine cardholder.

Eckoh's new process uses both voice biometrics to authenticate a caller, and a phone 'footprint' to authenticate the caller's mobile device. It is the dual authentication mechanism which increases the merchant's confidence that the caller genuinely is the cardholder.

Today, a fraudster may be in possession of stolen card details (including the 3-digit security code on the reverse of most cards), but they are highly unlikely to pass a voice biometric check and to also be calling from the cardholder's own mobile phone. As such, Eckoh's approach reduces the risk of fraud substantially.

Eckoh continues to work with global industry partners to bring its innovative new payments products such as this new dual authentication transaction process to market.

Nik Philpot, Eckoh's Chief Executive Officer, comments, "Our US payments business has seen huge momentum in recent years, and so we are particularly pleased to secure these two new CallGuard patents within the biggest global market for our technology. Eckoh continues to make significant advancements to keep customers' data safe within contact centers. These awards confirm that Eckoh remains at the forefront of contact center security and is testament to the depth of technical talent we have in the company, as we continue to produce innovative products that we can then commercialize."

For more information contact MediaResponseUS@eckoh.com

References & further information

[1] Statista.com

[2] Aite Group