MasterCard (NYSE: MA) just released a a new tool to help merchants mitigate the risk of fraud in online transactions. MasterCard's (MA) Expert Monitoring Fraud Scoring for Merchants provides businesses with a predictive fraud score for card-not-present purchases in real time to measure the likelihood that a transaction is fraudulent, the Purchase, N.Y., company said yesterday.

This is done through fraud detection models designed specifically for online merchants. The service will be available beginning in May.

According to the Lexis-Nexis 2011 True Cost of Fraud Study, merchants incurred costs of more than $2.33 for every $1 of fraud committed, absorbing more than $102 billion in total losses in 2011. To lower their risk in this space, eCommerce merchants utilize an average of four to seven fraud detection solutions to validate orders and identify fraudulent transactions.

MasterCard boasts that its new tool also benefits consumers, because it helps protect them from fraudulent transactions on their cards, while minimizing the potential that legitimate transactions are declined.

How worried are you about the integrity of the online shopping experience for cardholders, as either consumers or business owners? Do you see this as a bank problem, since most cards offer zero liability for cardholders?