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Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

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Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#2
I really like the idea behind Square, but are customers really going to trust a dongle hanging out the end of someone's phone? Whats to stop someone reverse engineering the dongle and creating a spoofed client that just records the data instead of performing a charge?

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#4
post #3

"For just $1, anybody can have the functionality of a full blown credit card reader on their phone." This will not end well.

Why? Anyone can already type in credit card number,ccv,etc by hand for zero dollars - surely it's not a disaster?

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#5
post #2

I really like the idea behind Square, but are customers really going to trust a dongle hanging out the end of someone's phone? Whats to stop someone reverse engineering the dongle and creating a spoofed client that just records the data instead of performing a charge?

A valid concern, but a dishonest merchant can easily enough skim your credit card already. Ever since the proliferation of camera phones, it's not been hard for a bad employee to instantly and stealthily copy your card's information.

To step back a bit: I love how elegantly Square has adapted the market's current de facto e-payment option, but I have to wonder if that's really the way forward. If Square is really in it for the long haul, they'll probably do a Netflix: build a solid business on applying good UX to the current technology, then use that leverage to pioneer in the next paradigm.

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#6
post #2

I really like the idea behind Square, but are customers really going to trust a dongle hanging out the end of someone's phone? Whats to stop someone reverse engineering the dongle and creating a spoofed client that just records the data instead of performing a charge?

So?

That's already a risk every time your card leaves your sight. The details on the strip aren't much more than what's on the front of the card. I know I had access to people's cards back when I worked retail. The store-copy of receipts had full card number, name, and expiration date. This device is the least of your security worries when it comes to a credit card.

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#8
post #2

I really like the idea behind Square, but are customers really going to trust a dongle hanging out the end of someone's phone? Whats to stop someone reverse engineering the dongle and creating a spoofed client that just records the data instead of performing a charge?

I could see this being a great tool for electricians, plumbers, and other in home service persons.

There is already a high degree of trust there, and certainly anyone who understands what reverse engineering a dongle entails also understands why the alternatives are equally vulnerable to fraud.

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#9
post #2

I really like the idea behind Square, but are customers really going to trust a dongle hanging out the end of someone's phone? Whats to stop someone reverse engineering the dongle and creating a spoofed client that just records the data instead of performing a charge?

Who cares? This is already a solved problem with credit card laws (the very limited liability you suffer by some random dude stealing the number)

Re: Square's On-the-Go iPhone Credit Card Scanner Will Cost $1

#10
Interesting perspective from American Banker. If anything, Square is shaking up the established market and getting established industry veterans working on true mobile payment.

> Beth Robertson, the director of payments research for Javelin Strategy and Research of Pleasanton, Calif., said that if Square is able to allow merchants and consumers to accept card payments without a conventional merchant account, that may be a bigger selling point for the system than the technology itself.

http://www.google.com/gwt/x?oe=UTF-8&client=safari&q...

> The app, as Kevin says, will even upload GPS information, so you can make sure that payments are happening in the right place.

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