Fighting Fraud Through Physical Networking

One of my colleagues passed on an interesting article from the Globe and Mail last week; it’s about the next generation of fraud detection being utilized in some financial institutions. I find it fascinating, albeit a little unsettling, that banks are using computer models to create profiles, not just about clients, but about who those clients interact with. Fraudsters often associate with other fraudsters, so by keeping track of their physical network, banks have been able to identify new cases of fraud.

Fraud is costing the group insurance industry millions of dollars every year. I think the insurance industry now recognizes that the Group ID and CET number combination is as valuable to a fraudster as a credit or debit card.

Click here to read the article.

Inspiration in Death Valley

People in general are motivated and inspired by many different influences. When I hear stories of folks accomplishing incredible things, I can’t help but wonder what or who inspires them to take action. For me, I tend to be inspired by people; people who accomplish feats that most others can’t imagine. One such person who immediately comes to mind when I think about inspirational people, is Ferg Hawke.

Ferg is a local resident who is famous for completing the Badwater Ultramarathon. The race is 217 km non-stop beginning in Badwater, Death Valley (the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere) and finishing at Mt. Whitney (some 2530m above sea level). Ferg completed the race, which includes 3962m of cumulative vertical ascent, in conditions as warm as 54 degrees Celsius! At the age of 47 he placed second, finishing in less than 28 hours – I can’t even imagine.

He ended up turning his amazing experience into a movie, “Distance of Truth” – now that’s a movie worth watching and re-watching! It explains how straying off the painted white line meant having his shoes stick to the pavement. It talks about his feet swelling two or more sizes and how competitors had their toenails surgically removed rather than incur the pain of losing them on the road. Now THAT’s a great movie!

It’s also a great inspiration that almost anything is possible – the body is a remarkable thing. I have done some running and participated in races, but I can’t even grasp the concept of running all day and all night, without a break. I guess I’ve always been attracted to stories of folks that endure through difficult physical circumstances – suffice it to say that almost every book with the word “Everest” in it is in our home library.

What inspires you?