In the last twelve months, credit card fraud against online companies has exploded as more and more thieves figure out how easy it is. To make matters worse, online and phone orders are not automatically insured against fraud - you are 100% liable for all your losses.
So here are some easy ways to protect your e-business from credit card fraudsters:
1. Reject orders sent from free web-based email accounts like Yahoo or Hotmail. Antifraud.com says nearly all fraudulent orders come from free accounts.
2. Most real businesses have e-mail addresses that include their website's domain name. Go to their site and see if it looks legit.
3. If the billing address is different from the shipping address, this should raise a red flag, especially if they are in different states or countries.
4. Another high-risk transaction is two or more orders from the same credit card.
5. When in doubt, phone the number listed on the order.
6. US banks have an
Address Verification System (AVS) that merchants can use to ensure the billing address the purchaser has given matches the one in the AVS system.
7. If you use an online order processor, make sure it has thorough fraud prevention measures.
8. Put a message on your site warning crooks you have anti- fraud protection in place.
9. Create a blacklist of bad credit card numbers so you won't get ripped off twice by the same thief.
10. If you want an extra sense of security, insurance coverage is now available against this type of fraud. One reputable site that offers it is http://www.iib.com.au/
About the Author
Suspect your e-content is not working hard enough for you? Heather Reimer writes action-inspiring web content, sales letters, news releases and articles, all at lower rates than the competition. Editing/proofreading also available. Get a FREE content analysis report on your site when you request an estimate. mailto:heatherreimer@codetel.net.do
Risk Disclosure: Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest / trade in foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading.
