Holly Sandberg
A couple of genuine ticketing professionals have been tapped to teach a workshop on fraud at the upcoming INTIX 44th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Seattle. The title of the one-hour session is “Protecting Your Brands, Fans and Bottom Line.” The co-presenters are Holly Sandberg, Senior Director of Global Fraud Prevention for Ticketmaster, and Mandi Grimm, Director of Fraud Prevention at ETix.com.
Why is this session an especially important one to attend this year? Grimm says, “The increase in e-commerce fraud is impacting all types of businesses. Fraud and chargeback loss is a critical topic for organizational management, and it is important for ticketing professionals to have a voice in those conversations. This session will provide information they can contribute in those meetings.”
Sandberg concurs, adding, “What we want to drive across to people is that fraud impacts far more intangibles than just losing ‘x’ amount of dollars. When dealing with fraud, it’s really about the overall health of the organization. If looked after the right way, it can be a huge net positive in terms of brand reputation and generating revenue.”
Chiefly, attendees will learn how changes in payments, fraud and chargebacks are evolving in ways both surprising and unnerving in the post-pandemic era and how that impacts ticket sellers’ bottom line. Grimm promises she and Sandberg will “cover a lot of critical information in a short period of time, including how to use that information in their venues. After this workshop, attendees should feel like they can implement a plan that will make a positive impact.”
“The return to live that has meant so much to all of us has brought the bad guys back, as well,” Sandberg says. “There is a very specific group of bad actors who target ticketing and live events, and they’re very happy live is back. They’re hoping we won’t be as prepared. They’re counting on us being so happy to be back up and running that we’ll forget about the challenges they pose.”
Mandi Grimm
One of the speakers’ big areas of focus will be recent changes in payments that may be affecting venue operators’ bottom line. “There is a lot of information to know, but one important topic we will discuss in our session is Compelling Evidence 3.0,” Grimm says.
“Readers need to begin preparing themselves for the upcoming Compelling Evidence 3.0 changes that will be implemented in April. Fighting chargebacks with accepted evidence is key to winning chargebacks. These new guidelines will require venues to make sure they have specific pieces of information they may not have previously used in a response.”
Grimm and Sandberg will also endeavor to provide a holistic view of the ways fraud and fraud prevention efforts impact an organization and the potential upside that can come from addressing them strategically. Thus, the question was posed: “Is one of the challenges getting people in our industry to think less about these problems emotionally and more strategically?” Grimm was quick to answer: “I think we must find that balance between emotion and strategy. The business of live events can be emotional, especially for ticketing professionals. We want people to love attending the event they just purchased a ticket for, and we pride ourselves in providing stellar customer service because it contributes to a positive live event experience.”
She continues, “When someone finds out they have been the victim of fraud, their first response is emotional. By educating ourselves about the overall flow of payments, how fraud happens in our industry, and the chargeback lifecycle we are then able to think more strategically about our response, and it becomes a well-balanced approach.”
Sandberg, formerly Head of Credit & Fraud at Paciolan, says, “A really big shift has been the way criminals value the data that they get their hands on. It’s now about so much more than getting their hands on your full, 16-digit credit card number. As they evolve and get better at what they do, we need to do the same … For a lot of attendees, they probably see fraud as ebb and flow based on if their team makes the playoffs or when the hot tour is in town and so forth. If you’re not prepared, that can make you reactive and emotional. So, thinking about it when it’s not hitting you hard is just as important — if not more important — as is the moment when you’re seeing a spike.”
And while both ladies will be dispensing a good deal of advice during their workshop at INTIX 2023, both also intend to call on past bits of counsel they’ve received on how to deal with fraud. Sandberg’s favorite nugget of wisdom once told to her? “The work is never done! The minute you shut down one particular avenue of attack, those fraudsters don’t go away. They’re just going to come back with something different. That drives some people crazy, but I think that’s why I’ve stayed with it for so long.”
“I have had so much great advice given to me on this topic over the years!” Grimm says. “One piece of memorable advice: Collaboration is key. When we collaborate, we are able to identify trends or put the pieces of the puzzle together in ways we may not have been able to do by ourselves. Plus, we will solve these problems more quickly than we could on our own. The adaptability and determination of fraudsters continues to surprise me, [and they are] sharing information with each other. Because of that, it is more important for us to work together to fight fraud instead of in our own silos. I have been able to collaborate with incredibly smart people over the years and have learned so much. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
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