The current pandemic has brought forth more sophisticated scammers like never before. Fraudsters, taking advantage of the pervasive fear and uncertainty among the population have devised many fraudulent schemes, including: masquerading as people in need, businesses peddling personal protection devices, and government leaders pledging to provide stimulus funds.  According to an AARP report, people in the U.S. have lost an...

In 1974, the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) was passed as an amendment to the Truth In Lending Act. It’s objective was to protect consumers from billing practices that were unfair and to provide a means to address billing errors in credit card accounts. Although this act awarded millions of consumers a way to protect themselves from unauthorized, fraudulent, and...

Trying to find the right merchant account for your business can be an overwhelming task. Few payment processors offer merchant accounts for this industry, so how do you know you are getting the best and safest option? With fantasy football season upon us, now is the perfect time to do a little payment processor shopping. Here are a few tips...

Payment Processing can become risky with an increase in refund rates. One of the many obstacles that high risk merchants have come to acknowledge is chargebacks. Chargebacks can lead to the termination of their merchant account. However, this is not the only menace that can threaten a high risk merchant’s position with acquirers. Another threat that can jeopardize their status...

Risk assessment should be part of your everyday life if you want to be a successful business owner. And the process should be well thought out when setting up an e-commerce store. You want to identify all potential dangers and loopholes early to prepare adequately. Still, risk assessment is a never-ending process. Why? Because the e-commerce business environment is ever-evolving....

North America has been known for their preference for plastic for some time, with credit cards being the top consumer payment method. Recently, however, the spotlight has begun to shift to mobile-payment methods. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, these trends are beginning to pick up even more speed. As consumers become more open to new methods of payment, more and...

E-commerce and other payment trends have been gaining speed for some time. However, these trends are now being fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the flames are spreading fast. New debit card transaction data released early this month by Houston-based Pulse electronic funds transfer network confirms this. It is safe to say we are living in unprecedented times. As stay-at-home...

What do the following industries have in common: e-cigarettes, sports betting, online firearms, and cannabis? All these industries fall under the high risk category. These industries typically need to ensure that they are in compliance with local, state, and federal laws. Compliance can usually translate into extra costs for all types of “compliance-related resources”.  What Does It Mean To Be...

Chargebacks can be the proverbial thorn in the side of every business. Originally created in order to protect consumers, unfortunately, it has become an easy way for some to commit fraud. Inevitably, this has deeply hurt businesses as they spend an inordinate amount of time, money, and energy fighting this never-ending battle.  When merchants have many chargebacks (exceeding a rate...

Transaction laundering is increasingly becoming a threat within the payments industry. According to EverCompliant, a solutions provider, in 2016 $155 billion was created from  online sales through transaction laundering in the U.S. alone. It was also found that banks were processing close to six to ten percent of “unauthorized” e-commerce sites. Out of that, three percent were discovered to be...