"How to Protect Your Online Store from the Internet Burglars, Part 1"
The theft of credit card numbers is enormous. It is estimated that as many as
40% of all online transactions are bogus.
This article is normally an electronic booklet sold on my site, but I decided
its content was too important to not share with you.
One of the worst things that can ever happen to an online store on the Internet
is lurking at every storefront out there. The Internet burgulars, as I like
to call them, are waiting for you to let your guard down just for one second
while you're processing their credit card number. It is at that point that you
may as well just walk out in the middle of the street and throw every bit of
money in your wallet and pockets at the next car that goes speeding by. Or better
yet, whatever merchandise it is that you are selling online, just go throw about
40% of your inventory into the streets to let others come and pick it up. This
sounds like a ridiculous analogy, I know, but it illustrates how much they can
hurt you. That estimate is not overstated.It is estimated that this could be
the percentage of lost sales to fraud on the Net.
They think they're crafty, and they're costing people their hard-earned savings,
the business they worked so hard to create, and they don't care. All they care
about is fast merchandise of the right kind to offload and sell on the streets,
or whatever it is that these crooks do with it.
You will find some of the stories I am going to tell you not only funny but
ridiculous. I am not making light of a serious subject, believe me! This subject
has obviously become a sort of a quest for me. I want to stop them, and I want
you to help me. I don't want to see you give away even one cent to these people.
Your business does not deserve the thievery that abounds.
I am not saying that this type of practice did not exist before the Internet
became a household word. It was happening EVERYWHERE! I used to have a friend
who was a manager for a COMPUSA store. This was a very large store with thousands
of orders a day, but this guy knew what he was doing. He did not lose anything
to these people. He taught me many of the things I am going to pass on to you.
I remember being in his office one day, and the phone rang. Some women was screaming
so loud at him, I could hear her across the room. She was yelling that she was
supposed to have her laptop delivered by next day mail, and it had not arrived
yet. I thought, boy, they must've really messed up her order or something.
He politely told her he would check up on it, and he hung up. It was at this
point my eye-opening began. He taught me that if a customer is irate and wants
quick shipment to places like New York City, Detroit, Chicago, and they put
the whole thing on a credit card (about $3,500 worth), it's STOLEN. I'm not
picking any city in particular - these come to mind as the ones he mentioned.
Two elements of the sale bothered him.
1. The amount was high (over 500.00)
2. The need for urgent shipment was weird.
Thanks for joining me. After you finish this report, you'll be amazed at how
simple it is to keep from getting ripped off. I hope this will be a fun but
informative adventure for you. I will start by showing you a day in the life
of two Internet store owners. One is very naive (as we were in the beginning),
and the other is a seasoned player in this dangerous game of taking credit cards
over the Internet. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't disapprove of taking
credit cards on the Internet, and I don't think anyone should stop taking them.
If your company can take losing up to 40% of its merchandise to thieves, don't
read the rest of this booklet!
What our company actually did was to stop selling computer equipment on the
Internet altogether. This was one among many reasons.
When I return in Part 2, I’ll show you a scenario of two Internet store
owners, and I’ll discuss how they handle online ordering.
About the Author:
Lynne Schlumpf is the CEO of Route 66 Cyber Cafe, Inc., http://www.r66cci.com,
a Web hosting and design company specializing in promoting websites for new
owners, building affordable e-commerce sites, and providing reliable web hosting
solutions as an affiliate of Virtualis Incorporated. |
