As a merchant who accepts credit cards, what kind of protection do you have against creditcard fraud and stolen credit cards?

If you are a retail store merchant you have very little recourse. The credit card processing companies require you to check ID and verify signature on each credit card transaction you accept. For the single location this compliance can be pretty easy. If you have multiple locations or a lot of employees enforcing the rule becomes more difficult. The basic rule on a fraudulent credit card transaction is you will lose both the payment and the product. On top of that your credit card processing company may even assess a chargeback fee of some kind as well. The best way to prevent this is training and awareness for your staff and you as an owner.

For online merchants it can be worse as the credit card is not present at time of transactions. This makes it more difficult for you to prove that the person who purchased the product or service from your website was the card holder.

There are credit card protection systems available mainly to online merchants that can minimize your risk of getting hit with stolen cards.

Here are just a few:

• IP Cross Check

• Geolocation Check

• CVV check

• AVS Check

• Credit Card usage and dollar amount limits.

Total-Apps credit card merchant services have the above fraud protections and more at no cost to our clients. We not only help set up your merchant account, but show you how to monitor for credit card fraud before you incur a loss. Contact us today to accept credit cards for your retail or online business.