The holidays are officially upon us, and with the bedlam that ensues at malls and retailers beginning on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), many of us turn to the Internet to take care of our gift lists.

While shopping online is convenient, becoming a victim of payment fraud is not. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC), credit/debit card fraud, computer fraud and financial institutions fraud were among the top categories of complaints referred to law enforcement in 2007.

We've all heard the precautions: make sure your transactions are secure and encrypted, buy from reputable sources, etc., but is there a better way to avoid fraud? Cards Off thinks so.

Based in Paris, France, Cards Off is an emerging payment transaction system that lets you maintain anonymity while making online purchases. Rather than ask you to give out your credit card details, the service uses the SWIFT network to connect with your bank and request that it hold payment until you have actually received your purchases. To confirm delivery and finalize the transaction, Cards Off uses a certifying system that is compliant with the United Postal Service (UPS). 

To learn more, watch our discussion with Sebastien Crussol.

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