High risk transactions refer to any financial activity that poses a greater degree of potential fraud or money laundering. These transactions tend to involve large sums of money, unfamiliar parties, or certain industries notorious for illicit activities such as online gambling, adult entertainment, and cryptocurrency trading.
When a business has been determined to be high risk, it means that credit card processors have deemed this business prone to a higher than normal rate of chargebacks and an elevated risk for financial failure.
Payment processing is also at a higher risk, especially in the e-Commerce space. Merchants have assumed this risk, however, payment processors and acquirers stand to lose as well. The answer for most acquirers and processors is to outright deny the business a high-risk merchant account or elevate their prices in order to cover their risk.
Fraudulent transactions and scams are simply part of the package when it comes to operating an e-commerce store. Yet, merchants are well-advised to implement effective controls and protection to shield themselves from these illegal activities.
High Risk Transaction Meaning
High risk transactions are generally those that are more susceptible to returns, chargebacks, as well as fraud. Depending on the specific vertical of the business, the issues will largely look the same. If there are any issues with the transaction, the merchant’s funds would be placed on hold until the problem is resolved.
High-risk transactions can also include cross-border transfers where the regulations and oversight may vary across jurisdictions. Financial institutions and payment processing services normally employ strict due diligence procedures to identify and mitigate these risks. They scrutinize the nature of the transaction, background checks on both parties involved, source of funds verification, and overall compliance with regulations such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML).
By flagging high-risk transactions early on, banks and payment processing services can prevent unauthorized activities, protect their reputation, and ensure compliance with legal obligations.
High Risk Transaction Most Common Types
As the online payment space continues to evolve, e-Commerce merchants must pay careful attention not only to the amount of revenue they are able to generate but the types of customers they are encountering.
Here are some examples of high-risk transactions to look out for:
- First-time customers
- International customers
- Card-not-present transactions (which include telephone order, mail order, IVR authorization as well as settlement, and Internet)
- Manual transactions without authorization
- Manually keyed transactions
- All transactions a customer keys into the terminal
Bolstering Security Is Key in High Risk Transactions
High-risk transactions require enhanced security actions as well as compliance. Cybercrime today represents a significant threat to businesses of all sizes, and they must put into place all the measures available to minimize the risk.
Determining the customer’s identity is at the forefront of the innovation of identity verification solutions. More businesses are adopting an enhanced digital identity as well as authentication solutions to strengthen their security.
Another critical reason to beef up security is to protect valuable customer and employee data. Data privacy measures need to be in place in order to prevent hacks that will hinder customer satisfaction and confidence, and not to mention lawsuits.
Biometric authentication protects user accounts from account takeover. This security process verifies a user’s identity using one’s unique biological traits including irises, retina, facial characteristics, voices, and fingerprints. The biometric authentication system then stores this data for the future when the user tries to access their account.
This information is used to confirm the user’s identity.Using unique biological traits means that they will use data specific only to that individual. This makes biometric authentication more secure than using traditional multi-factor authentication.
High Risk Transactions in Banking: Authentication Issues
With account takeover on the rise and the shady practices within the dark web, verifying the identity of users has become an ongoing challenge in banking and online processing services.
High-risk transactions in banking pose significant challenges for financial institutions due to the potential for fraud and financial losses. These transactions typically involve large sums of money, non-customary activities, or unusual patterns that may trigger red flags for banks. To tackle this issue, banks employ sophisticated authentication systems to verify clients’ identities and ensure the legitimacy of these high-risk transactions.
On one side of the authentication issue, consumers demand convenience as well as speed. They don’t want to wade through an intricate, labyrinth type of verification process. They certainly don’t want a convoluted login system either. On the other side of the coin, security regulations are such that there is an increasing requirement to include authentication.
The traditional ways of authentication by using a username and password have become largely archaic due to its massive security vulnerabilities. Phishing, account takeover, and social engineering are just some of the attacks. As a result, many IT departments are hard at work, researching new, powerful authentication methodologies to mitigate any potential for fraud and theft. Indeed, online banking has further added complexity to this process as authentication issues arise due to the inherent vulnerabilities of conducting financial activities over the internet.
Banks rely on multi-factor authentication methods, such as passwords, security questions, biometrics, or device recognition, to mitigate risks associated with online banking. However, cybercriminals continuously develop innovative techniques to bypass these security measures and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Thus, ensuring a robust and continuously evolving authentication infrastructure is crucial for banks to protect their customers’ funds and maintain trust in the digital banking ecosystem.
What Is A High Risk Transaction: Final Steps to Protect Businesses
Now that we know what constitutes a high risk transaction, we can finally consider some practical steps that businesses can take to reduce their vulnerability and improve high-risk transaction attacks.
The first step is always creating an effective cyber security policy which outlines the company’s protocols for protecting data both online and offline. This policy should help ensure maximum protection from cyber attacks. In case an attack occurs, there should be clear understanding on the steps to take to minimize the damage.
Secondly, implementing well-researched protection technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS) and content filtering solutions can help mitigate the likelihood of a cyber attack occurring in the first place. Normally, a cyber attacker takes advantage of vulnerabilities within systems or networks in order to obtain unauthorized access, information theft or disruption. This is especially critical when dealing with high-risk transactions.
Thirdly, educating employees about their role in cyber security and ensuring they adhere to standard protocol when handling highly sensitive data will go a long way in mitigating the impact of any future cyberattacks.
Lastly, never ignore warning signs that something may be wrong; if your business experiences any unusual activity on your system take action immediately! By following these steps you can minimize the risk of your business being compromised by cybercriminals or hackers.
If a merchant is looking to expand their business into a high-risk industry that could bring in great revenue, it is important to ensure all the necessary safety protocols and monitoring systems are in place to protect against potential risks and fraudulent activity. Taking this precautionary measure is always a wise business decision.
High risk transactions are generally those that are more susceptible to returns, chargebacks, as well as fraud. Depending on the specific vertical of the business, the issues will largely look the same.
A high-risk transaction is any type of financial transaction that carries a higher risk of fraud or chargebacks due to the nature of the transaction.
A high risk transaction refers to any financial transaction that is more prone to fraudulent activities, returns, and chargebacks, due to the nature of the transaction or the industry in which the business operates.
High-risk transactions in banking refer to financial transactions that are considered to be of higher risk due to the transaction type or industry in which the business operates. These transactions carry a higher risk of fraud, chargebacks, and other issues.
High-risk transactions can impact businesses in several ways, such as increased chargebacks and fraud, which can result in financial losses and other reputational damage. Payment processors and acquirers may also deny high-risk businesses a merchant account or increase their prices to cover their risk.
Some examples of high-risk transactions include first-time customers, international customers, card-not-present transactions, manually keyed transactions, and all transactions where a customer keys into the terminal.
To mitigate high-risk transactions, businesses can implement enhanced security measures and compliance, such as identity verification solutions, biometric authentication, and other protection methods. They can also research new, powerful authentication methodologies to mitigate any potential for fraud and theft.
Still have questions?
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please reach out and chat with our team.
Get in touch