Queens authorities call for increased credit card security

After authorities announced on Friday that they charged over 100 people in a record-setting identity theft operation, they blamed both the thieves and victimized credit card companies, The Huffington Post reports. During a press conference in Queens, district attorney Richard A. Brown accused United States credit card companies of giving an excess of money and allowing too much client information into thieves' hands, and encouraged the industry to focus further on security. According to the attorney, credit card companies would rather take the financial losses of the identity scheme than invest more in their security measures. Deputy Inspector Gregory T. Antonsen suggested to reporters that the recent events in Queens show the need for electronic computer chips on every credit card, as this would lower the instance of fraud. Currently, Europe is using smart cards, which require the cardholder to enter personal ID numbers on a keypad, similar to a debit card transaction, the news source suggests. Such technology could benefit the security of credit cards in America. "It makes it much harder to commit fraud," said David Robertson, publisher of The Nilson Report.