Challenge
Like many property management groups, Rambla faced challenges with ID verification and preventing fraud. Fraudsters are becoming more creative, using stolen IDs and AI-generated ID’s from the dark web to bypass security measures. And without staff on-site to manually verify, Rambla also faced issues with chargebacks and unauthorized payments. They’ve experienced a surge in fraudulent bookings and unauthorized access attempts, costing them $10,000 in fraudulent bookings, and highlighting the urgent need for a better solution.
Solution
Using Akia, Mews, and Stripe, Rambla completely eliminated these fraudulent activities. Here’s how they provide a robust solution:
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Automated check-in forms: Send a check-in form before arrivals via text message.
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Verification requirements: Require a driver’s license or passport, and a selfie. Extracted the name from the ID and compared it to the reservation name, then matched the ID image with the selfie.
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Machine learning: With facial recognition, Akia automatically analyzes and detects if photos do not match.
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Manual verification: For additional security, flagged photos underwent manual review.
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Stripe Integration: Authorize a temporary charge to confirm that the card is valid, and has not been reported lost or stolen.
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Using MEWS payment request featuring 3DS Secure transactions for Hotel Collect and Direct bookings. With 3DS Secure, banks notify cardholders of charges via text or app, asking for confirmation to ensure legitimacy.
This automated process has been crucial in catching fraudulent attempts early, before the reservation time, and ultimately prevented chargebacks and enabled Rambla to accept legitimate guest bookings. And as Akia Intelligence (AI) continues to learn patterns from properties like Rambla, the future fraud-preventative mesaures will become even more comprehensive and robust.
