Chargeback Gurus' Audio Blog

Phone numbers have become a common way to verify your identity online. We’re in an era where many of us view our smartphones as practically extensions of ourselves, so it stands to reason that sending a text message to a personal phone number is a good way to perform two-factor authentication or validate a login from an unfamiliar device.

This method is secure and effective—unless a fraudster manages to hijack your phone number with a SIM card swap. It’s not the easiest scam to pull off, but when it succeeds, what can victims do to mitigate the damage and protect their online accounts?

Many of the apps and sites that store our most valuable personal data—like our social media, email, and online banking—use our phone numbers to make sure we are who we say we are when we’re trying to access or make changes to our accounts. After all, most of us always have our phones nearby, and replace them immediately when they’re lost or broken.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/sim-swap-fraud

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Sarah Rife

Phone numbers have become a common way to verify your identity online. We’re in an era where many of us view our smartphones as practically extensions of ourselves, so it stands to reason that sending a text message to a personal phone number is a good way to perform two-factor authentication or validate a login from an unfamiliar device.

This method is secure and effective—unless a fraudster manages to hijack your phone number with a SIM card swap. It’s not the easiest scam to pull off, but when it succeeds, what can victims do to mitigate the damage and protect their online accounts?

Many of the apps and sites that store our most valuable personal data—like our social media, email, and online banking—use our phone numbers to make sure we are who we say we are when we’re trying to access or make changes to our accounts. After all, most of us always have our phones nearby, and replace them immediately when they’re lost or broken.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/sim-swap-fraud

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Sarah Rife

The most important step when processing a credit card transaction is getting an authorization from the card issuer. This provides the confirmation that the customer’s identity has been verified to the best extent possible, and that the card is valid and has sufficient funds to cover the purchase.

A card transaction that hasn’t been authorized is like a great big bullseye target for chargebacks. However, interpreting the authorization codes that the issuer sends back can be confusing. What do the various codes sent back in authorization response messages mean, and how can merchants use them to make safer decisions when processing transactions?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/credit-card-response-codes

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

The most important step when processing a credit card transaction is getting an authorization from the card issuer. This provides the confirmation that the customer’s identity has been verified to the best extent possible, and that the card is valid and has sufficient funds to cover the purchase.

A card transaction that hasn’t been authorized is like a great big bullseye target for chargebacks. However, interpreting the authorization codes that the issuer sends back can be confusing. What do the various codes sent back in authorization response messages mean, and how can merchants use them to make safer decisions when processing transactions?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/credit-card-response-codes

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

In this hyperconnected digital world we’re living in, customers can come at you from any direction, and smart merchants are learning to meet their customers where they’re at—no matter where that might be. The name for this approach of marketing and selling across multiple platforms is the omnichannel, because it encompasses every possible vector through which merchants might engage their customers.

Unfortunately, any conduit for customers will also bring fraudsters, and the omnichannel presents them with multiple opportunities and vulnerabilities to exploit. How can merchants safely take advantage of omnichannel marketing without exposing themselves to excessive fraud and chargebacks?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/omnichannel-payments

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

In this hyperconnected digital world we’re living in, customers can come at you from any direction, and smart merchants are learning to meet their customers where they’re at—no matter where that might be. The name for this approach of marketing and selling across multiple platforms is the omnichannel, because it encompasses every possible vector through which merchants might engage their customers.

Unfortunately, any conduit for customers will also bring fraudsters, and the omnichannel presents them with multiple opportunities and vulnerabilities to exploit. How can merchants safely take advantage of omnichannel marketing without exposing themselves to excessive fraud and chargebacks?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/omnichannel-payments

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

To many American consumers, it may feel like QR codes had their moment a few years ago, but they never really went away—and with contactless payments becoming a big priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re starting to make a comeback.

QR codes offer an easily accessible way to receive contact-free payments without investing in the near-field communications hardware required by many digital wallet platforms, but greater accessibility sometimes means a greater risk of fraud. How are fraudsters exploiting QR codes to steal money, payment card credentials, and sensitive personal data?

QR (Quick Response) codes were invented in 1994 to track materials in automobile factories, but the dawn of the smartphone helped them take off in a big way for the average person. While they were prevalent for a time, they never quite found their essential purpose—not in the United States, anyway, where they typically served as shortcuts to load a URL or contact information on your phone. In China and Southeast Asia, however, they found widespread use as a means to facilitate digital payments.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/qr-code-payments

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

To many American consumers, it may feel like QR codes had their moment a few years ago, but they never really went away—and with contactless payments becoming a big priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re starting to make a comeback.

QR codes offer an easily accessible way to receive contact-free payments without investing in the near-field communications hardware required by many digital wallet platforms, but greater accessibility sometimes means a greater risk of fraud. How are fraudsters exploiting QR codes to steal money, payment card credentials, and sensitive personal data?

QR (Quick Response) codes were invented in 1994 to track materials in automobile factories, but the dawn of the smartphone helped them take off in a big way for the average person. While they were prevalent for a time, they never quite found their essential purpose—not in the United States, anyway, where they typically served as shortcuts to load a URL or contact information on your phone. In China and Southeast Asia, however, they found widespread use as a means to facilitate digital payments.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/qr-code-payments

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

At a glance, processing a credit card payment couldn’t seem more straightforward. The card goes in the slot, the terminal does some behind-the-scenes communication with the credit card mothership, the customer scribbles a rough approximation of their signature on the screen, and presto—a transaction has occurred.

For the layperson, this explanation may be sufficient, but merchants need a better understanding of the technical details of credit card processing in order to protect themselves from fraud and chargebacks. What do merchants need to know about how credit card processing works, and how can this inform the best practices for handling transactions?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/credit-card-processing

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey

At a glance, processing a credit card payment couldn’t seem more straightforward. The card goes in the slot, the terminal does some behind-the-scenes communication with the credit card mothership, the customer scribbles a rough approximation of their signature on the screen, and presto—a transaction has occurred.

For the layperson, this explanation may be sufficient, but merchants need a better understanding of the technical details of credit card processing in order to protect themselves from fraud and chargebacks. What do merchants need to know about how credit card processing works, and how can this inform the best practices for handling transactions?

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/credit-card-processing

©Chargeback Gurus 2021
Production: Emily Woodward
Narration: Phil Claffey