Semafone launches trustmark for telephone payments

SURREY, UK: Semafone announced that it has launched a new trustmark, Secured by Semafone, to be used by all customers and partners which implement Semafone's patented payment method.

The trustmark will provide a guarantee of security for customers who are paying for goods or services over the phone. Two of Semafone's partners have already adopted the Secured by Semafone trustmark. Ultra Communications, a specialist contact centre technology company, and Automated Transaction Services (ATS) will both be including the mark in their own offerings.

Semafone allows customers to enter card details directly through their telephone keypads, removing the risks of speaking the numbers out loud. The company's patented payment method ensures that all the keys emit the same tone, making it impossible to identify the numbers by their sound. This means that only service agents using a Secured by Semafone payment method can continue to speak to their customers throughout the payment process.

Robert Bates, chairman of Ultra, said: "Ultra's technical specialists independently concluded that the technique of concealing keypad tones was by far the most elegant solution to remove the contact centre from the scope of PCI-DSS compliance. The Secured by Semafone trustmark means that we are able to provide our clients with a strong guarantee that our product is fully in line with Semafone's patent."