Stopping Card Testers and Preventing Online Fraud

Card testing has become an increasingly troublesome problem for many Internet merchants. Card testing is where a computer programmer creates a computer program that automatically submits orders on your website. This computer program can rapidly submit orders in an attempt to find a credit card number that is valid, so it can be used for other fraudulent purposes. Credit card numbers are normally created using another advanced computer program and known credit card algorithms, that can be obtained easily online.

Card testers target websites that give a different response for each different type of decline. When a card is declined due to an incorrect expiration date, a different response is given. This has just informed the card tester that they have a valid card number and they now just need to find the expiration date.

The easiest way to stop card testers is to have a single response for all declined transactions. Card testers cannot tell if a card was declined due to an incorrect expiration date or an incorrect number and they will try other websites. This in addition to using the AVS (Address Verification System) and CVV/CV2 (Card Verification System) will nearly eliminate all fraud and card testing on your website. While it is impossible to completely eliminate fraud, taking these steps will help save your online business, costly chargeback fees and loss of merchandise costs.

Many processing gateways are taking additional steps to prevent card testing and internet fraud. Authorize.net has established the FraudScreen.Net, to help its customers manage fraud and card testing. While systems like these are not needed for all merchants, many are still burdened by cart testing and fraud attempts.

There are also several websites devoted to helping merchant learn about and prevent online fraud.
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) FBI Partnered
fraud.org
INTERNET-FRAUD.COM
ScamBusters

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