Educating SMBs about online credit card fraud is the focus of a new program, entitled ‘Get Smart About Card Fraud Online.’
The campaign, created in conjunction with the Australia Payments Clearing Association, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police, is focussed on raising awareness among small to medium merchants about the possibilities of fraudulent credit cards being used on their websites.
With more and more retailers moving into selling online, this initiative was designed to aid SMBs unaware of the measures needed to protect themselves and their customers from fraud.
“Just as retailers carry out simple security checks when taking card payments face-to-face, certain checks need to be done when taking payments online. It’s also about recognising which transactions are particularly risky and dealing with them sensibly. If an order seems too good to be true, it probably is,” said APCA CEO Chris Hamilton.
In the 2011 calendar year, over a million fraudulent transactions occurred on Australian issued payment instruments, to the value of over $300 million according to the Australian Payments Clearing Association, suggesting that this is an issue that storeholders need to be made aware of.
Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailer’s Association, says that the course will definitely benefit online retailers new to the space.
“What makes Get Smart About Card Fraud Online stand apart from other fraud prevention materials out there, is that it really gives Australian online retailers valuable knowledge on how criminals operate. I highly recommend the program to any merchant selling online.”
The web-based program includes tips, information, advice, testimonials from case studies and details on how to protect you and your customers from credit card fraud online, allowing businesses to access the program in their own time.
