Avoiding Credit Card Fraud (Intermediate Level)
Issue 39, October 15, 2000

Dear Friends,

It's been six months since I've written about credit card fraud. If you need to get up-to-speed on this subject -- and all online retail merchants do -- read the articles in Issue 32, "Avoiding Online Fraud: Minimizing the Risks of Online Credit Cards," March 15, 2000, which should be considered Part 1 in this series. The articles in this issue are for intermediate or advanced fraud control information, and assume that you are using the fraud prevention tips offered in the March articles.

But there are a several subtle methods of fraud that I've become aware of that I need to pass onto you to help you protect yourself from lost merchandise and expensive chargeback penalties.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday selling season.

God bless you,
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Editor

How Thieves Steal Card Numbers without Detection

It's pretty scary that cyber thieves can steal credit card numbers without even seeing the card, but it's possible. Here's a heads-up for merchants. Read the Article.

How Thieves Hide Their Identity and How to Spot Them

When a cyberthief comes into your store, he won't tell you who he really is. Here are some ways to spot the disguise. Read the Article.

New Fraud Detection Systems Available

Several of the leading Payment Gateways now offer sophisticated fraud detection systems. Here is a short list. See the List.

Product Brief: CPS Computerized Parcel System

Merchants that are trying to gear up for shipping will appreciate this extremely flexible and capable shipping software that is priced for small businesses. Read the Product Brief

Low Cost Shopping Cart Scripts

If you need a shopping cart and have some programming ability or have a friend who does, there are a number of free and low cost Perl scripts available through the CGI Resource Index. The advantage of these scripts is that you can change them to meet your own specific needs. The downside is that they may not be thoroughly tested and supported like commercial scripts. Beware. http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Shopping_Carts/

New Ecommerce and Web Marketing Articles

Each month our team of link editors scours dozens of online periodicals and resources to find key information on e-commerce and Web marketing. With so much new literature available to you, how do you find what you need quickly and painlessly? Here's a selective and searchable database of article and resource links to help your research and keep you up-to-date in the field. (Links gathered in a given month are usually available during the second week of the following month.)