For merchants who rely on eCommerce and the Internet as their source of livelihood, credit card fraud is not a laughing matter. This is especially true when you have huge electronic payment gateways and similar companies protecting their businesses by spending millions in security and to uphold the strength of their data storage systems. However, fraud prevention professionals say that some merchants rely too much on their sophisticated tech tools and fail to see that the simplest steps can help avoid fraud. All it takes to begin the awareness is that “human touch”. Here are 5 tips for the average eCommerce merchant to help them stave off fraudsters.

Tip #1 – Never send out sensitive data over email
A lot of us are aware that we shouldn’t do this and yet we still send sensitive data like passwords and PIN codes over emails. Important data should never be stored in recoverable format because it’s getting easier for people to tamper with emails and extract information that you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. Don’t even send passwords to yourself in the email hoping that you can look back at the email and retrieve your password, because someone could get there before you. Just use the password retrieval link at the site and obtain a temporary password in your Inbox.

Tip #2 – Be discreet when leaving voice mail messages
Be wary of your surroundings and/or foreign devices nearby. If you find that a voicemail sent to you contains sensitive data, delete it immediately.

Tip #3 – Copy with care
When making copies of documents containing sensitive information at the copier, keep the originals in a safe place. If you do not wish to keep them, do shred them and dispose of them discreetly.

Tip $4 – Share customer data internally… only if you must
Do not share sensitive customer data with anyone, internally or externally, unless you have to. Be vigilant and not too trusting even if your closest colleagues or subordinates are involved.

Tip #5 – Keep sensitive information to yourself
Do not succumb to interrogation and any form of trickery. If you must discuss it, do it discreetly where no one is within hearing.

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