|
| |
 |
The holiday season should be a time of celebration, so you obviously don't want it spoiled by falling victim to holiday credit card fraud. Busy, high-spending times are precisely the opportunity crooks look to trick you out of your money or steal your identity.
Credit card fraud attackers have their bag of tricks and ways to cheat consumers out of their holiday cheer. Take measures to protect your money and avoid having someone take a joy ride on your good credit.
 Don’t Get Swiped
Using your debit card for holiday shopping is smart in terms of keeping your budget under control, but nowadays criminals have figured out how to steal your personal identification number (PIN) from the machine after you've used it.
Most banks and other financial institutions instruct their customers to always sign for a debit card purchase whenever possible. A signature-based transaction is harder for a thief to mimic than simply nabbing your PIN. Also, instead of signing the back of your debit card, print "Ask for I.D." instead. At the point-of-purchase, merchants ask for personal identification more often than not decreasing the possibility of identity fraud.
Do Not Give Your Credit Card to an Unknown Source
During the festive season, a popular credit card scheme is when a familiar vendor such as your credit card company, bank or a popular merchant does a “follow-up call” to “verify your credit card number" over the phone. You must first hang up immediately and call your credit card company, bank or merchant to determine if the call was a scam or not. Chances are, you were contacted by a malicious, unknown source and not someone you do business with on a daily basis.
|
| < Read More |
|
 |
| Bluetooth® Card Reader & Receipt Printer Now Supports iPhone® and iPad® |
| Mobile Payment Application now supports Bluetooth connectivity which offers Apple iPhone and iPad merchants the flexibility to accept payments and print receipts, anytime, anywhere. |
The Mobile Payment Application’s newly certified Bluetooth Card Reader / Receipt Printer deliver an all inclusive, secure, mobile point-of-sale solution. Using Bluetooth technology and a lithium ion battery, this device extends the flexibility for merchants to provide receipts to customers anytime, anywhere. Merchants can leverage their Apple iPhone®, iPad® or iTouch® to process credit card transactions and print receipts on the go.
"The payment industry landscape is rapidly changing with mobile applications and peripherals being an integral part of the transition," said Paul Sabella, CHARGE Anywhere’s CEO. "CHARGE Anywhere is dedicated to offering the best peripheral choices to our customers and the release of this Bluetooth enabled card reader and receipt printer for iPads and iPhones is a testament to that commitment and our ongoing drive to innovate solutions based on the needs of merchants."
This distinct mobile point-of-sale solution for iPhone®, BlackBerry®, Android™, Windows Mobile®, Java® and Brew™ Platforms allow users to securely process payments in real-time reducing risk and decreasing the scope of PCI-DSS. The exclusive solution permits users to capture and export mission critical business data such as signature capture, invoice number, employee number, tips, GPS location and more.
For more information on how to order the Bluetooth Card Reader/ Receipt Printer for Apple iPhones and iPads, please contact NTC Texas at 972-406-811 or toll-free at 877-877-6511.
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Q: What different types of merchant accounts are available?
A. The most common types of merchant accounts offered by credit card processors are retail, mail order, telephone order and E-commerce. Other types of merchant accounts include restaurant, lodging, car rental, healthcare and government. Click here to view payment solutions by industry through NTC Texas.
Q: What is a gateway fee?
A. Credit card companies partner with gateway providers to verify a customer’s data and determine the authenticity of a transaction. Most gateway providers charge a monthly fee that is billed to merchants through the credit card processor. Most gateway fees range from around $5-20 per month. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Smart Holiday Shopping |
 More holiday shoppers plan to pay cash for their gifts this year, according to the results of a recent poll by CardRatings.com and MSN. Credit cards easily surpassed debit cards, suggesting that more consumers are taking advantage of the rewards points and purchase protections offered by credit cards.
Conducted over the holiday weekend, Nov. 23-28, 2011 the online poll asked consumers, "What will you use to pay for holiday shopping this year?" Cash was the single most popular choice, garnering 44% of responses. Out of more than 9,500 respondents, just over a third (36%) indicated they will use credit cards, while a mere 17% said they plan to use debit cards.
If that happens, it resists the trend of the past few years. In 2005, the number of debit card transactions surpassed credit card transactions along with a mere 1% planning to use gift cards, according to the Federal Reserve. Will shoppers stick to their cash or will they turn to credit if money gets tight? |
| < Read More |
| |
|
 |
Dec 14 , 2011, Medicare Reimbusement & Policies - What is Next?
Read more. |
Dec 5 , 2011, Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance Enhancements - PCI 2.0!
Read more. |
Nov 22 , 2011, Trustwave Webinar: Flexible Two-Factor Authentication
Read more. |
Nov 8 , 2011, Keys to Qualifying for the Electronic Medical Record Incentive
Read more. |
Nov 2, 2011, Early Warning Signs: Fraud Prevention and How to Detect Threats
Read More. |
 |
|
 |
 |
Merchant Return Fraud to Cost Retailers Billions in 2011
Merchant retailers are no stranger to return fraud. Retail crime rates grow significantly during the holiday season when stores are bustling with shoppers. This holiday season, the retail industry is expected to lose $3.48 billion to return fraud, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation. That's down from $3.73 billion in 2010, but up from $2.74 billion in 2009.
Return fraud is expected to cost retailers a total of $14.37 billion in 2011, with 89.1% of retailers reporting they have experienced the return of stolen merchandise. |
| The NRF identifies three common methods of return fraud: |
- Returning items like special occasion apparel and electronics after it’s been used.
- Returning merchandise purchased on fraudulent or stolen tender.
- Using counterfeit receipts to return merchandise.
|
| To crack down on these shopping crimes, many retailers have adopted stricter return policies in the past few years, such as requiring receipts and making customers show identification when returning items. Other businesses will only allow in-store credit for returns. The NRF reports that 12.6% of retailers will tighten their return policies to combat return fraud during this holiday season. |
| < Read More |
|
 |
| Located in Las Colinas, Texas, NTC Texas is a merchant service provider representing Elavon Global Acquiring Solutions throughout the United States. As a team, NTC Texas and Elavon deliver the most powerful transaction processing package in the industry with a proprietary network, fully redundant systems, 100% up time, superior customer service and a broad spectrum of products. |
|
