Fighting fraud is all of our responsibility and a
little diligence on your part could save your business hundreds or thousands of
dollars. Don't be shy about contacting a Risk Representative at Capital
Bankcard if you are unsure about an order or transaction. We can help you
determine if the transaction is legitimate and give you guidance on steps you
can take if you are suspicious.
If you believe a card is stolen, fraudulent or
otherwise suspicious, you should train your staff on how to make a Code 10
authorization request. The Code 10 authorization request alerts the card issuer
to the suspicious activity-without alerting the customer. During a Code 10
call, you will speak to the card issuer's special operator, who will provide
instructions on any necessary action. This type of authorization request is the
most likely to result in a call to law enforcement.
Code 10 steps
Keep the card in hand to quickly respond to
questions. Call 1-800-228-1122 and say "I have a Code 10 Authorization
Request." When connected to the special operator, answer all questions
calmly and in a normal tone of voice. Follow all operator instructions.
If the operator asks you to retain the card,
comply with this request only if it is safe to do so.
If you are keying transactions or receiving them
off the internet, you are at even more risk for fraud. Below are some red flags
to watch out for in these environments.
Orders that require you to ship product outside
of the United States. There are obviously very legitimate orders from overseas
but, if your business does not normally receive such orders, or receives any
which seem unusual, you should give them extra scrutiny.
Transactions requiring you to "prepay"
the shipping costs via Western Union to a specific shipping company being used
at your customer's request. Any suspicious sounding shipping arrangements are a
good sign of potential fraud.
Unusually large orders or those containing
multiple quantities of the same item. You know your business better than
anyone. If a large order seems particularly unusual in any way, trust your
instincts and follow-up on it. Thieves know a stolen card number won't last
long so they typically place large orders while they can. They are also always
looking to maximize their resale value.
Orders from generic e-mail addresses (ie. john@yahoo.com)
or calls using TDD (telecommunications device for deaf) to place orders. Many
of these orders are legitimate, but they are sometimes indications of a
fraudster looking to remain anonymous.
"Rush" or "overnight"
shipping requests. Crooks want your goods as soon as possible for the quickest
possible resale. The last thing they care about is extra delivery charges.
Transactions with similar account numbers,
multiple orders from one account or multiple orders to one address from
multiple cards. These are all highly suspicious and are worth your attention.
We want to ensure that you and your associates
are able to spot potential fraud and take action quickly in order to prevent
fraud and protect your business, but only when it is safe to do so.
Hopefully these suggestions will help you. If you have any question about this, please feel free to
contact us at info@tampabaymerchantservices.com or call 727-916-7294
