February 19, 2015 | Industry News/MasterCard

About 15 years ago, MasterCard created a series of global regional forums where payment security industry professionals could discuss how to best combat fraud.

As criminals have become more sophisticated, so have the efforts to protect consumers, including the MasterCard Academy of Risk Management forums or ARM. In the process, the ARM conferences have become must-attend security events in the payments industry for issuers, acquirers, merchants and law enforcement professionals.

Industry collaboration is important in combating fraud to stay 10 steps ahead of criminals.  This year, get ahead and stay ahead:

• June 8 – 11: Americas conference will be held in Key Biscayne. Fla. Click here to register.
• June 8 – 12: Latin America Forum (in Spanish) will be held in Key Biscayne, Fla.
• August 24 – 28: Asia Pacific conference will be held in Singapore.
• October 12 – 15: European conference will be held in Berlin, Germany.

In 2014, roughly 1,200 people attended conferences in Dubai, California, Malaysia and Dublin to discuss security and innovation in the payments industry. MasterCard experts shared best practices and highlighted ways the industry is working with law enforcement and others to secure the payments environment.  Conference sessions focused on topics such as global and regional fraud trends, the payments revolution, authentication, e-commerce, cybersecurity, managing third party risk, regulatory updates, and compliance.

As an additional resource, the ARM website serves as a one-stop-shop resource for payment card industry and risk professionals. The website has information about relevant courses, workshops and online resources to keep the industry in the know throughout the year.