A common misconception among amateur and large online websites is that their businesses are completely safe from any damaging scams. However, according to report conducted by Symantec, the company stopped 5.5 billion malicious attacks in 2011, noting that cyberattacks grew 81 percent in 2011, with up to 1.1 million personal identities stolen via malware. With this in mind, the safety of customers’ personal data is extremely paramount to any website business. Here are some ways to avoid getting scammed in your website business.
Verify All Received Information
Image via Flickr by Christiaan Colen
You must always verify any credit card information that you receive. Compare the shipping and billing addresses of all orders. This is a common way to ensure the card holder actually placed the order. You may also call the number tied to the order and ask to speak to the card holder. It is extremely unlikely that any scammer will continue an order when he/she is on the phone. Lastly, use address verification and card code verification to verify any card holder.
Setup Determined Transaction Attempts
One common mistake of online website businesses is that their e-commerce software allows repeated transaction attempts. This blunder makes a business vulnerable to scammers who have access to multiple credit card numbers. To remedy this problem, set up determined transaction attempts that will only allow customers to incorrectly enter their credit card information a certain number of times. This will discourage scammers from trying to use a bundle of credit card numbers. After a few failed attempts, require that a customer call to continue the order.
Manually Process High-Value Orders
In most cases, scammers can get reckless and try to order high-value materials from an online business. Although high-value orders are not synonymous with a potential scammer, you should remain cautious. Manually call the credit card holder to confirm the order. Again, scammers are less likely to go ahead with an order when they are on the phone. If you’re unsure about the customer’s integrity, don’t ship the order.
Create a Package Recall System
This particular practice is effective and creative. Credit card fraud is usually detected by the real credit card holder within minutes or until the order goes through. In some cases, however, the damage is already done. Of course, if you were to create a package recall system, you could check a customer’s credit card information and recall any packages until the information given is verified.
Use Effective Software That Can Detect Fraud
This is the most effective and practical way to prevent any scammers from targeting your website business. The best way to do this is to use effective software that can detect any kind of fraud. For example, website business owners can use chargeback prevention programs, such as High Risk Pay, to lower the risk of scams and credit card fraud.
Website business owners should always stay vigilant to mitigate the risk of scams. Protecting your customers’ vital information is the first step to establishing yourself as a reputable website business.
