Supervisor Credentials Misused
Floor supervisors' credentials were used to access POS terminals, where transactions could be modified or cancelled.
BMA International, which runs the Redtag and twenty4 fashion brands, was losing revenue to point-of-sale fraud that smart cards could not stop. Technowave and BMA chose the HID DigitalPersona 4500 fingerprint reader, which required proof of presence and worked with Oracle Retail Xstore, and deployed more than 1,100 readers across six countries.
Established in 1997, BMA International runs fashion retail across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, with more than 250 stores under two brands, Redtag and twenty4. Its growth rests on building trust with shoppers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders.
Like many large retail chains, BMA faced fraud at its stores. An internal audit identified the security of point-of-sale (POS) terminals as a serious concern, particularly the misuse of floor supervisors' credentials to modify or cancel transactions.
BMA had moved from passwords to a smart card system, but the problem persisted, because the cards themselves could be shared, kept and misused.
Floor supervisors' credentials were used to access POS terminals, where transactions could be modified or cancelled.
Supervisors often left their smart cards with cashiers to use in their absence, which weakened control over who was accessing the system.
Cards were not always returned when an employee left. Many of BMA's retail staff are expatriates who often return to their home countries.
After a sale was completed and the customer had left, the card could be used to void the transaction and keep the refund, causing monetary and inventory losses.
BMA's internal auditors recommended tightening authentication, and the decision was made to move to a biometric system that met security needs at a competitive price and suited the look of the stores.
BMA and Technowave International LLC chose the HID DigitalPersona 4500 fingerprint reader, supported by recommendations from other retailers that had deployed it.
Competing solutions were incompatible with Oracle Retail Xstore Office Cloud Service, which BMA was adopting across its brands, so compatibility was a crucial requirement.
The reader's optical scanner captures and encrypts the fingerprint, gives a red flash to confirm a good capture, and sends the image to the DigitalPersona FingerJet engine for verification before POS access is granted.
A compact USB peripheral that saves space, the reader suits use by several people in a shared environment and looks professional in retail settings.
Following an internal audit, the Internal Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the authentication gaps be closed.
The HID DigitalPersona 4500 met all requirements, including compatibility with Oracle Retail Xstore.
The reader was simple to deploy and caused no disruption to retail operations.
More than 1,100 HID fingerprint readers were deployed in retail outlets across KSA, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
Since deployment, BMA has eliminated nearly all POS fraud and abuse, and the system has improved how supervisors work.
BMA has eliminated nearly all POS fraud and abuse, which stopped both revenue and inventory leakage.
Supervisors must be physically present in the store for authentication, which has improved their attendance and punctuality.
The system supports several types of authentication, which suits staff who work across more than one location.
“Because the HID DigitalPersona 4500 Fingerprint Reader requires proof of presence for authentication, there is greater accountability among supervisors, which resulted in immediate cessation of POS fraud and stopped both revenue and inventory leakage.”Nainan M. KurianCEO, BMA International
Credentials that can be shared or left behind weaken control. Fingerprint authentication requires the authorised person to be present at the terminal.
Competing readers were incompatible with Oracle Retail Xstore, a crucial requirement, so compatibility decided the choice.
Requiring a supervisor to be physically in the store improved accountability and attendance.
The reader was simple to deploy and caused no disruption to retail operations, which made the rollout across more than 1,100 readers practical.
BMA International needed to stop fraud that was happening through misused smart cards at its point-of-sale terminals. Technowave, working with BMA, delivered a biometric access system that is compatible with Oracle Retail Xstore and has been deployed with more than 1,100 readers in retail outlets across six countries.
HID Global's support also helped BMA take full advantage of the system's functionality and flexibility, according to BMA's CEO.
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