A mobile device includes a housing and an antenna mounted in or on the housing for exchanging transaction signals with a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. The mobile device also includes a user interface element, a transceiver coupled to the antenna, and a secure element including processing circuitry and a secure tick counter. The secure element stores a payment application operable to conduct a pre-sign procedure selected by a user before interfacing with a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. The processing circuitry verifies the user, obtains a first tick value, sets the mobile device into a transaction-enabled state, obtains, when the transceiver is interfaced with a POS terminal, a current tick value from the secure tick counter, calculates a difference value between the current tick value and the first tick value, and enforces a risk management decision.