Overheard: Going shopping? Bring your cell phone

A new Harris Interactive study suggests 25 percent of users with mobile Internet access now use their devices to buy goods and services online with a credit card, and nearly one in five saying they would like to someday use cell phones as a “mobile wallet,” where charges would be billed directly to their mobile accounts. Gary Kim, Growing Interest in Mobile Transactions

Another recent study found that world-wide, Australians were the most suspicious of mobile transactions.  One Australian mobile provider even has five-factor authentication. 

Besides requiring the right internet log-in password, the user must also have a mobile phone which is registered with Qpay’s system. Next is voice bio-metrics, which only recognizes the authorized user’s voice. Additionally, automated random questions on personal details are posed to the user and would vary each time. Finally, the user must say a random word correctly.