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Credit Card Skimmers in Online Shopping

The Covid-19 Pandemic has drastically changed our online shopping habits. Many companies that saw little to no online business are now booming in an unfamiliar world. If your business is still strictly brick & mortar, it is time to find an ecommerce merchant service provider.  It is more prevalent than ever to get your services or products online for your customers.

Is your online shop safe from fraud?

Along with a new service or website you should also be looking into protection for you and your customers. Illegal fraud groups prey on unprotected and outdated websites for bot-testing; a way of testing thousands of credit cards in the matter of moments to see which cards are accepted. They will later use the accepted credit cards somewhere else to purchase harder to trace items, such as gift cards. This can cause a headache for merchants and risks the reliability and reputation of your online business.

Luckily, merchant service providers who offer secure online gateway services give merchants a peace of mind. Many with fraud detection settings that are built right into their account. If you are not currently using a secure method for checkout on your website, contact us today!

What precautions should you take for your ecommerce business and shopping?

In April, 2020 anti-malware company Malwarebytes released this post on the increase in online card skimming since the pandemic began.

In the article, Malwarebytes shares a list of useful precautions any online shopper should look for:

Limit the number of times you have to manually enter your credit card data. Rely on platforms where that information is already stored in your account or use one-time payment options.

Check if the online store displays properly in your browser, without any errors or certain red flags indicating that it has been neglected.

Do not take trust seals or other indicators of confidence at face value. Because a site displays a logo saying it’s 100% safe does not mean it actually is.

If you are unsure about a site, you can use certain tools to scan it for malware or to see if it’s already on a blacklist.

More advanced users may want to examine a site’s source code using Developer Tools for instance, which as a side effect may turn off a skimmer noticing it is being checked.”

https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2020/04/online-credit-card-skimming-increases-by-26-in-march/

For merchants, this list is a good resource. You want to ensure that your website is safe and secure for your customers.

What about threats you may not be able to see?

Cybersecurity company Sansec from The Netherlands also discovered skimmers hidden in websites social media buttons. These buttons were placed on unknowing merchant websites whom were under protected and outdated. Fox News reported on these findings at the beginning of December 2020. All the more reason to ensure your online shop is paired with a secure and reputable gateway service.

Where do I find ecommerce merchant and gateway support?

eCom Merchant Solutions has been in business since 1997. We have partnered with companies through the years that have been around since the beginning of ecommerce shopping. We only work with reputable merchant account and gateway service providers. If you are looking for a secure gateway service, look no further!

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