Well, a good first step is to turn on your AVS (Address Verification Service) and CVV (Card Code) security settings. AVS settings will verify the house number and the zip code entered by the customer against the billing address of the credit card. The CVV is just the three or four digit code located on the back of the card. These fraud prevention measures are important because they help lower the risk of fraudulent transactions and can help lower your rates.

Once logged into NaviGate you will see a list of tabs on top of the page:

You’ll click on the tab marked ‘Profile & Settings’. You are then given a list of options on the left side of the page. Click on ‘Security’. You now have a number of security settings you can edit. Once you choose ‘Edit’ under AVS settings you’re given the following:

Here it is up to you how stringent you’d like to be with your AVS settings. I would advise having one of these boxes or settings turned on.

For CVV settings your security settings look like this:

Again, I would advise have some type of CVV security setting turned on for your account.

Protection against fraud starts with you. Never be afraid to scrutinize transactions! Always carefully consider your business’s level of risk when configuring your CVV and AVS filter settings. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in our Merchant Plus forum or give us a call, 1-800-546-1997.

Have Authorize.net as a gateway? Look at how to turn on AVS and CVV settings here .

Well, a good first step is to turn on your AVS (Address Verification Service) and CVV (Card Code) security settings. AVS settings will verify the house number and the zip code entered by the customer against the billing address of the credit card. The CVV is just the three or four digit code located on the back of the card. These fraud prevention measures are important because they help lower the risk of fraudulent transactions and can help lower your rates.

Once logged into Authorize.net you will see a list of tabs on top of the page:

You’ll click on the tab marked ‘Account’. You are then given a list of settings options on the page. Under ‘Security Settings’ you can click on both ‘Card Code Verification’ and ‘Address Verification Service’. Let’s start with ‘Card Code Verification’:

Step one will be to enable this filter by checking the box at the top of the page:

Step Two will be to choose the settings you would like to activate:

Authorize.net will allow you to hold transactions and review them with your customer in the event the CVV doesn’t match or is excluded from the information. It is also up to you as to how stringent you’d like to be with your CVV settings. I would advise having one of these settings turned on.

For the AVS filter your security settings look like this:

Again, you must enable the filter at the top of the page to turn on the AVS settings. Next, you can set general AVS settings as well as specific AVS settings for address, zip code, and extended zip. With these settings, Authorize.net gives you tips on different response codes and what might be best for you. Again, I would advise have some type of AVS security setting turned on for your account.

Protection against fraud starts with you. Never be afraid to scrutinize transactions! Always carefully consider your business’ level of risk when configuring your CVV and AVS filter settings. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in our Merchant Plus Forum or give us a call, 1-800-324-1997. Authorize.net also has video tutorials to walk you through this setup process here.

Have Navigate as a gateway? Look at how to turn on AVS and CVV settings here .

While security is a critical component of accepting credit cards online, it’s not always easy to perform at a high level – especially if you are active on your website adding new features, pages, and tools to attract and enrich your audience.

A Few Tricks for WordPress Users
The most popular CMS on the internet happens to be WordPress, and with good reason!   It’s easy to install, quick to learn, and through the help of thousands of theme developers and marketplaces like ThemeForest.net, you can have a pretty great looking website in a matter of days.  With the addition of popular plugins, like WooCommerce, Shopp, or WP Ecommerce you can even be running a powerful online store in minutes.  In fact, we run our website on WordPress!

So, how do you secure your website?  And how do you convey to users that you are secure? Here are some simple and practical tips:

1. Get an SSL Certificate!
2. Choose a webhost that offers some level of security baked into their platform and has expertise in WordPress.  Check out WP Engine and Page.ly for two popular choices.
3. Augment your SSL certificate and hosting with a service like CloudFlare, which protects your site from attacks at the network level – literally blocking bad traffic before it even gets to your website.  They offer a seamless WordPress plugin to help implementation, and it works with common caching plugins like W3 Total Cache.
4. Test your website for security.  A great free options is WP Security Scan.
5. Utilize a plugin to direct site content like images and scripts on key pages through to HTTPS.  This ensures your visitors don’t get that annoying “some items on this page are insecure” notice.  We recommend the ubiquitious and WordPress HTTPS plugin.

The most common sense tip is also the one that is easily forgotten: test your website regularly.  Pretend that you are a “common” visitor by first taking a look at your analytics to see what kind of platform the largest percentage of your visitors use – then go find or mimic that setup (Windows + IE7 could be more common than you think!) and see how secure your WordPress website feels.

• Are there warnings or errors?
• Are you missing HTTPS on any sensitive pages, such as the checkout or “My Account” areas?

Take a look, you’ll be glad you did!

When you are ordering food with someone and cannot seem to find the change in your wallet to settle the split, Clover is a great solution. Its a very simple app that can completely change the payment game. Create an account and very simply add money to your account from your credit card or your bank or PayPal account and easily withdraw money via your bank or PayPal accounts, Amazon gift cards, or even by check. You can then easily transfer funds between your friends and family.

Security is also not an issue with Clover because Clover protects your information with 256-bit encryption and stores it in a PCI-DSS compliant server environment, not on your phone. You can also secure your Clover app with a 4-digit PIN and your Clover funds are FDIC-insured.

1. Maximize your time by knowing what you have to do and when.
2. Keep track of payments from all of your clients.
3. Effectively communicate with your clients.
4. Completely manage your website.

Features of Freelancer Panel:

• Send Online Invoice to your Clients
• Online Freelance Client Management Software
• Fully Featured Project Management Software for Business & Freelancers
• Full Helpdesk with Knowledgebase
• Selling your Products through a Shopping Cart
• Bill For your Time, and Track Your Time!

“Freelancer Panel has been in business since 2006, and for the vast majority of that time, all of our credit card processing has been through MerchantPlus. We have customers in over 50 countries across the world now, and MerchantPlus has been with us through all of that. I am so pleased with MerchantPlus that Freelancer Panel is offering a 10% discount code to all of their customers. You will now be able to enjoy our software at a discounted rate. Our software does everything from managing invoices & projects, to helping you sell your products or services through your website. Many features, now at a much lower rate.”

Use the coupon code “mp” or “merchantplus” for 10% off any service paid monthly above the basic freelancer plan.

Freelancer Panel offers plans starting at $1.99 a month. For more information on Freelancer Panel and the specific plans they offer, head over to www.freelancerpanel.com.

Some of the common questions buyers have include:-

• Is this a real company? Often, simply providing the address and phone number of your company during the checkout will address those concerns.
• What are your payment methods? This is best addressed by featuring images of the credit cards you accept.
• Is the site secure? This is best addressed by using the logo of your security provider.
• If you need registration, explain why. Often it’s as simple as explaining that the information will speed up future purchases.
• Can I return this? Make this explicit.
• How long does it take to ship?

If you are able to answer these questions and concerns during the checkout process, you’re more likely to secure a sale and get a return shopper.

• Merchant Level 1 – processing over $6m/year
• Merchant Level 2 – processing $1-6 million/year
• Merchant Level 3 – merchant processing 20,000 to 1 million/year
• Merchant Level 4 – merchant processing fewer than 20,000 e-commerce transactions per year and processing up to $1m/year

Any merchant that has been hacked and account data compromised may be escalated to a higher validation level.

The best way to protect yourself is to not store any cardholder data.

Questions you need to know from your hosting provider:-

• When do I need to file?
• What forms do I need to fill in?
• Will you send me reminders?
• What information do you provide me?

The fines for non-compliance or confirmed security breaches vary according the payment card providers. Fines are hefty and best avoided. For more information, read the PCI-DSS comprehensive guide.

With MerchantPlus, you can upgrade to the Authorize.Net Advanced Fraud Detection Suite™ (AFDS). This is a set of customizable, rules-based filters and tools that identify, manage and prevent suspicious and potentially costly fraudulent transactions. You can customize AFDS filters and tools to match your business needs and control how suspicious transactions are handled, including the ability to approve, decline or hold transactions for manual review. Read more here.

There are enough complexities involved with running a mail order business. Not only do you have to constantly market your products to your customers, you also must continuously work to develop new products. Then, when customers buy the product from you, you have to excel at order fulfillment, customer service and more. Because there’s so much involved with not only running a mail order business but any kind of business, savvy business owners hire an expert merchant account services provider to handle credit card processing. To keep costs low for your mail order business, find a company that will navigate you through the getting-started phase of your business and provide you with cost-effective, smart solutions for processing online payments.

As a new business owner, you should research merchant account providers with a well-known reputation for providing outstanding customer service. Many companies want to merely satisfy customers. However, some merchant account services companies want their customers raving about and applauding their service. Look for these companies by checking against the Better Business Bureau or reading testimonials on the provider website. Also, check the merchant account provider’s website to see if the business has a section specifically geared toward offering customer service. Such attention signals the company really cares about the customer experience that they offer.

Once you get a feel for the merchant account provider you want to work with, call the company and chat with the person who picks up the phone. Ask about the process for getting your merchant account started and what it will take to get you up and running – this is particularly important for the “getting-started” phase. Getting things right the first time will eliminate time-intensive troubleshooting and keep your attention on growing your new business. Otherwise, you could end up spending time and money correcting mistakes in your credit card processing setup or integration. If you’re a merchant that also goes to trade shows, make sure to ask questions about low-cost mobile credit card processing options.

You want to come away from the phone conversation with confidence in the merchant provider, not only in their great rates. Finding a knowledgeable, patient, reliable and experienced partner for your credit card processing is very important and can help your business start to bring in sales quicker and at a lower overall cost.

I’d be willing to bet my next paycheck that if you’re reading this article, you’ve probably done your fair share of shopping using that small, rectangular piece of plastic that fits so snugly in your wallet. Credit cards have revolutionized our purchasing power. They are extremely simple to use- just swipe and sign or type and click. And as easy as they are to use, they can be dangerous if the information they carry ends up in the wrong hands.

Consequently, one might ask, “Are there any measures that can be implemented to decrease the risk involved when using a credit card?” The answer to that would definitely be yes. Since most cases of credit card fraud stems from card-not-present (CNP) transactions, such as online shopping or mail ordering, the most obvious and effective method would be to just use common sense. Be wary of where you shop. Do your research and make sure the merchant is reputable.

There is however, an added security measure designed especially for CNP transactions, and its located directly on your credit card. This is known as the Card Verification Value 2 code (CVV2). You probably know it as the 3-digit-number at the back of your Visa, MasterCard or Discover, right under the magnetic strip on the right hand side. Or for those of you with American Express, it’s the 4-digit-number on the right hand side of the face of the card. This might lead you to wonder, “If this is the CVV2, where’s the CVV1?” The CVV1 is encoded onto the card’s magnetic strip and is used only in card present transactions.

So now you know what is and where to find it, how can it help you? I’m glad you asked. First of all, let’s make it clear that the CVV2 code is not stored in the magnetic strip like the CCV1 or the card number itself. Hence, the CVV2 is never recorded when the credit card is swiped. This would limit the ability of a fraudulent merchant to capture the magnetic stripe details of your card, in an attempt to use it at a later time for a CNP transaction. Online merchants who require CVV2 codes to process transactions are forbidden by Visa to store the code after the transaction is authorized and completed.

This regulation is part of a larger collection of regulations known as the Cardholder Information Security Program. CISP is instated to reduce credit card fraud.

“All merchants are prohibited from storing CVV2 data. When asking a cardholder for CVV2, merchants must not document this information on any kind of paper order form or store it on any database.”

Although the CVV2 code decreases credit card fraud. It is not without some limitations. Since MasterCard only introduced this measure in 1997, and Visa in 2001, it is not mandatory for merchants to require the code. This decreases the overall effectiveness. However, transactions processed without a CVV2 code might be subjected to higher scrutiny for fraud. A transaction deemed to be fraudulent that was processed without a CVV2 code tends to be resolved in the favor of the cardholder.

So now that you’re all caught up and hopefully a bit more knowledgeable about your credit cards, I bid you good luck in all your future charging endeavors. Just remember, charging can be easy and safe, but charge responsibly, and with a reputable business. If you’re an online merchant, accepting CVV2 should be a given. For other questions about CVV2 and other fraud-prevention measures, give us a call at 800-546-1997.

Some recommended additional reading:

• Visa CISP Website
• Rules for Visa Merchants