Press release 01/04

Furtwangen, December 3, 2004 – The handy, ergonomically shaped device, which can even be used as a key fob, can in principle provide any bank customer who has a SECCOS chip (Secure Chip Card Operating System) on their EC card with a current transaction number (TAN).
“Since July, we have been working with tan Jack ® since July and have already sold over 150,000 units,” says Carsten Sommer, Managing Director of REINER SCT in Furtwangen.
Every EC card can be used with the tan Jack ® to generate around 65,000 TANs, which the bank customer can use one after the other.
The secret numbers on the card chip are calculated and then checked online by the banks’ computer centers.
The Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, which are connected to the GAD computer center in Münster, have taken on a pioneering role in the use of the card reader.
At these cooperatively organized credit institutions, the procedure is called Sm@rtTAN and is distributed by REINER SCT in cooperation with DG VERLAG in Wiesbaden.
“We are sure that all banks will now gradually offer their customers the tan Jack ® to their customers,” says Sommer.
It is very easy to use: simply insert the bank card into the small reader, press the TAN button, read the current 6-digit number and use it for online banking.
The TANs are calculated in the chip of the bank card before they are then shown on the display of the device.
This means that the TAN generated remains individual and unique.
It does not matter whether the bank customer uses home banking software or browser-based Internet banking.
“As the specification of the SECCOS chip is the property of the banking industry and is included as standard on all new cards, the TAN generation process works with bank cards from different banks,” says Sommer, explaining the principle.
From the banks’ point of view, the tan Jack ® offers numerous advantages.
For example, the production and dispatch of paper TAN lists is no longer necessary, which reduces costs.
Support costs can be reduced as there is no need to activate follow-up TAN forms.
“Ultimately, the modern and secure reader not only boosts image and customer loyalty, but even attracts customers to online banking, as they are enthusiastic about the new TAN technology,” Sommer is certain. All in all, tan Jack ® impresses with its reliable and simple operation and easy-to-read display.
Another benefit for the bank customer: The tan Jack ® also has a “money card” function that allows you to keep an eye on your balance at all times.
The optimized power-saving technology of the lithium batteries supplies the tan Jack ® with energy for many years and many thousands of TANs.
The device is also extremely robust, as it can even withstand a fall from a height of two meters. (The text contains approx. 3,220 characters)