8 min read
In the past few years, we’ve all heard about, or perhaps been victim to, credit card fraud. And with compromised credit cards and data breaches dominating the headlines, it’s hard not to have some concern about fraud. More specifically, if you run an eCommerce site, these concerns you and your shoppers have are valid, and it is your responsibility to have a secure online store and checkout process to keep their information safe from hackers.
There are two types of credit card purchases; card-present and card-not-present (online) purchases. And with a global effort to crack down on fraud, maybe you’ve heard about EMV which stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa cards, more commonly known as the “chip card”. The good news is that little metallic chip is very effective at preventing the use of counterfeit credit/debit cards for card-present purchases. The bad news, however, is that EMV is so effective at preventing card-present fraud that it has pushed hackers to work through other channels of fraud, namely card-not-present purchases.
Historically, there have been dramatic spikes in online credit card fraud after EMV implementation. In France, for example, payment card-present fraud dropped by 35% between 2004 and 2009 after the implementation of EMV, but domestic card-not-present fraud losses increased more than 360% in that same time span. In the United States, card-not-present fraud is already a big problem. In fact, it accounted for 45% of credit card fraud in 2014. And with EMV use on the rise, experts are predicting that number to increase dramatically.
That is why we’ve created this post. In the wake of these startling figures, we thought it imperative to really drive home the importance of having a secure online uniform store. We’ll give you some helpful tips for having a more secure online store and checkout process so that your customers stay safe, and your business continues to thrive.
Shoppers want to know that their information is secure when the input it into your site. Every website, no matter the market you serve, should include the use of HTTPS for any page that includes personal information and credit cards. Having a secure site actually boosts your rankings in search, but that is not the point of this article. Another good idea is to place an SSL certificate on your website showing that you are secure, and who your provider is, such as GoDaddy SSL.
In a 2015 study by Telstra, Two-thirds of U.S. consumers said they think using biometrics, such as facial, voice or fingerprint recognition, would help prevent fraud, and one in four said they’d go as far as to share their DNA information with their banks in order to better protect their information.
While this may be the future of fraud protection, taking these steps today toward a secure website, as well as knowing the right level of security for your customers, will ultimately keep shoppers safe from the threats lurking on the internet. For information about how UniformMarket can help, subscribe to the blog!