Cyber criminals play many games to swindle small business owners. These thieves may make large purchases with stolen credit cards and the Internet retailer is none the wiser until a chargeback occurs. Con artists may also initiate chargebacks for merchandise they received but claimed was lost in the mail. They then resell the purloined product for a profit.
Even though cyber scammers have many tricks up their sleeves to deceive unwitting retailers, some small business owners are catching on to their schemes and choosing to fight back. Don’t let your small business become a sad statistic. In the case of one entrepreneur, he was conned out of an expensive cell phone by a deceitful buyer. The retailer refused to take the crime lying down. He fought back by turning to his social networks. Using an image that he had taken of the thief, he uploaded it online and also posted about the scam. Eventually, the con artist’s personal information was discovered and he was turned over to the authorities.
Anti-fraud measures can help save your small business. For example, always validate the order before it is shipped. You may ask the buyer to scan the front and back of the credit card and email it to you, as well as sending a copy of his or her driver’s license which provides additional proof that the customer is the true credit card holder. If the customer does not know all the information you are asking for, he or she is probably an e-commerce scammer.
As in the case of the phone thief above, you can also call the authorities to report the crime or call the cardholder’s bank and ask him or her to report the crime to the police in the city where the merchandise was shipped. By using these methods, you may be able to recover the stolen product.
Above all, always trust your gut. If the buyer or the transaction seems suspicious, don't do business with the person. You may save yourself some grief in the long run.
