"There is so much corruption in China, " says a clothing vendor who gives his name as Zhao.

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Consumer watchdogs like the BBB can point a finger at miscreants but are hardly a complete safeguard, since it's so easy for a bad vendor to reorganize under a new name.

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They weren't sophisticated tie-ins, but they did provide an easy way to process a transaction over the web, including secure payment and rudimentary information about the name and type of vendor involved.

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And the newer Pay With Square app lets a customer enter a store, make a purchase and pay for it without swiping anything: The customer simply states his name the vendor's iPad automatically identifies any nearby smartphones running the app and then displays the customer's photo as confirmation before it processes linked credit card data.

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The software can track individuals who serve as officers of supplier companies, making it hard for a vendor to escape a bad rep by reincorporating under another name.

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