The Comcast Center in Philadelphia

Comcast corporation: payment acceptance & risk

who is Comcast?

Comcast is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms they provide to the content and experiences they create, they reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide.

 

my role

I was a full time contractor on the Payment Acceptance & Risk (PAR) team. I was responsible for the following during these few years:

  • Lead the ideation, prioritization, and development of payment features such as various payment methods (credit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers), checkout processes, and subscription billing systems to support our subscription products.

  • Devised strategies to mitigate payment-related risks such as fraud, chargebacks, and transaction disputes. This involves working closely with fraud detection tools, analyzing transaction data, and implementing security measures to protect both the business and its customers.

  • Ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards related to payment processing, such as PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.

  • Worked with third-party payment processors, gateways, and other vendors to ensure compliance, evaluate new partnerships, and integrate their services into the product ecosystem.

  • I worked with various teams including engineering, design, finance, legal, and customer support to ensure alignment on payment-related initiatives, prioritize resources effectively, and deliver a cohesive user experience.

 

project highlight: Proxipay

PAR addressed an unexpected increase in payment processing fees within Comcast's systems due to unauthorized conversions of ACH payments to virtual (or private) credit card payments by third-parties. This lead to customer confusion - they saw credit card payments in their account when they were paying via ACH, as well as several million dollars in fees paid by Comcast.

I led efforts to identify and resolve the issue, collaborating with various teams within Comcast to understand the root cause and implement effective countermeasures.

We conducted a thorough analysis and reverse engineering of payment processes to prevent further unauthorized transactions.

We faced challenges with a complex payment ecosystem and tight timelines, necessitating swift action to mitigate financial losses for Comcast.

We implemented robust blocks within Comcast's payment systems, saving the company over $XXM in extraneous fees and safeguarding its financial interests.