By Melody Lashmar There are many things affecting an online merchant’s ability to stay afloat in the competitive Internet marketplace. A downturn in the economy, business rivals with a similar product on the market and dwindling consumer confidence can all take a toll on your profits. In addition to these factors is the very real threat of e-commerce fraud, one of which is...
As summer heats up and people are heading off on vacation, buying graduation gifts and enjoying more leisure time, this season presents more opportunities for your small business to thrive. It also presents more chances for e-commerce scammers to strike.
We live in a society where many people want to get something for nothing. This is especially true in the retail world. Rather than paying for merchandise received, some deceitful consumers would rather “steal” their purchases by either claiming their credit card was stolen and they were charged for items they didn’t order or by stating they never received the item in the mail....
You have some ‘splainin to do
Things have been going along just fine but, seemingly out of nowhere, you are getting questions on your merchant processing. Technically, you are compliant with the payment association rules, so why all these questions? It seems that the things you used to do are now not accepted and things that were previously forbidden are now...
As a business owner, it’s in the best interests of your company to guarantee customer satisfaction and loyalty. You want buyers to not only keep patronizing your goods and services, but to tell their friends about your products. Even though you work hard at building a solid relationship with your audience, you may encounter a scam artist who takes advantage of your good will....
By Melody Lashmar - It’s that time of the month again… I get cranky and tired and irritated. I know what you are thinking and I assure you, it’s not hormonal. It’s the result of the monthly roundtable call I participate in where I get updated on many of the ridiculous, and often government funded, attacks on merchants and third-party processors. To be fair, I will agree that not...
In the retail world, con artists have always attempted to outsmart unsuspecting business owners. If they’re shopping in a store, they may swap one price tag for a lower one or purchase expensive merchandise for a special occasion, wear it and then return it, claiming that they had problems with the item.
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.
In today’s digital landscape, it becomes necessary for online retailers to accept credit cards if they want to thrive and keep up with their competitors. Providing a way for your customers to pay with plastic shows that you care about their convenience, you’re flexible in your payment options and you stay abreast of the latest technological trends.
Profits are the lifeblood of a business but incurring a series of deceptive chargebacks can quickly drain that blood. As a merchant, you want to believe the best of your customers so you may mistakenly think that your company is fool-proof when it comes to cyber crime.
