ABC Processing Receives 2010 Best of Santa Clarita Award

NEW YORK, NY, March 5, 2010 -- For the second consecutive year, ABC Processing has been selected for the 2010 Best of Santa Clarita Award in the Credit Card Merchant Services category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Nationwide, only 1 in 70 (1.4%) 2009 Award recipients qualified as two-time Award Winners. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2010 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2010 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

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"The few that do are envied by the many that do not" ---Rick Berry

Fraud prevention Links and Funny pages

Fraud Prevention:

Card-Present Protocol

http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_present.html

Card-Not-Present Protocol

http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_not_present.html

Code 10- What to do when you suspect fraud

http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/code.html

Funny Pages

Chargebacks

What is a Merchant’s Liability for Chargebacks?

(Paraphrasing Mr. Paul Rianda, Esq., Transaction World Oct. 2009)

What is a Chargeback?

A typical chargeback situation involves a cardholder who has made a purchase and then contacts the institution that issued the card and requests the transaction be charged back to the merchant and the sale amount credited back to the cardholder’s account. The cardholder may claim the transaction was not authorized, or that the product or service was not what was bargained for, not as represented, or not provided at all.

Let’s suppose for a moment someone has purchased a new flat screen T.V. from an internet based business online. After a couple of months they’ve lost his or hers job and as a result they call the cardholder’s issuing bank and say he or she never got the T.V. To free up additional room on their credit card to pay for essentials, the purchaser could call up the issuing bank to request a chargeback on that purchase even though the T.V. was sitting in the purchaser’s living room.

The purchaser is hoping that the chargeback either won’t be contested or that the merchant will not comply with the rules governing how chargebacks must be contested.

There are very strict time frames that are imposed on a merchant to contest a chargeback. If the merchant doesn’t reply in the required time period, the chargeback cannot be contested and the merchant has to pay the chargeback regardless of whether a merchant has proof-positive that the T.V. in question was delivered.

There are many instances involving merchants that were duped into accepting fraudulent credit card transactions. If all aspects of the sale seem legitimate and valid authorizations are obtained etc. a transaction can still be fraudulent and if the transaction is indeed charged back then the merchant is responsible, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The merchant is in fact, the guarantor that the transaction is valid, and if for any reason the transaction is not valid, the merchant is liable, assuming there is no valid defense, as there is no requirement of fault on the part of the merchant for a chargeback to occur. The fact is that if there is a chargeback the merchant is liable unless he or she has some defense to the particular situation that falls within the association rules and is able to prove the rules allow the chargeback to be reversed.

What if the merchant simply can’t pay the chargeback? They are then placed on the ‘TMF’ list, Terminated Merchant File, causing the merchant to be unable to accept credit cards, which can indeed put them right out of business.

Where there is a substantial unpaid chargeback, the result to the merchant can be disastrous.

In any event, the customer that made the purchase is protected by this system, while the merchant bears a huge amount of risk for chargebacks.

So the lesson is, even if the merchant does nothing wrong and obtains authorization for the transaction, they still can be held liable for a chargeback months later. Merchants should to the extent possible, ensure that they do everything they can do to try and minimize their potential liability for chargebacks.

11 Tips for protecting confidential business information

11 Tips for Protecting confidential Business Information:

1. Empty the mailbox: Never leave outgoing or incoming mail in pick-up boxes overnight. This is your best defense against possible off-hour mail snoops.

2. Watch the fax: A document sitting on the fax waiting for pick-up is an open invitation for prying eyes. Try to stand by the fax machine to receive sensitive information as soon as it comes in.

3. Make copies carefully: Private matters can go public fast when juicy stuff gets left behind. When making copies of sensitive documents, remember to grab your originals off the copy machine.

4. Use the shredder: Always shred sensitive information before dumping it in the trash bin. If you can’t shred, use receptacles designed for sensitive paper disposal.

5. Leave discreet voice mail messages: You never know who’s standing within earshot of someone’s work area, so avoid leaving a detailed voice mail message if it involves sensitive information.

6. Protect your on site ID: Play it safe with your ID badges, office keys, and building-entry codes. Protect them as you would your own credit cards or cash.

7. Keep things private in public: When you’re in a public place, think twice before discussing proprietary information or any details about sensitive projects. You never know who’s listening.

8. Don’t make it easy for an outsider to pull an inside job: If you see an unfamiliar face roaming around your office, step up and ask if you can assist. Make your presence known.

9. Be careful with your documents: Remove all sensitive materials from your work area when you’re not using them or at the end of the day. Be sure to lock them in the appropriate file cabinets, desk drawers, etc.

10. Note what’s on your screen: Those account numbers and financial details on your computer screen are intended for your eyes only! To keep it that way, use a glare screen to minimize easy information access.

11. Limit cell phone conversations: Anyone can listen in on your cellular conversations. All it takes is a good ear and a decent scanner. Avoid sharing any sensitive information over a cell phone.

Data Security

Data Security- Merchant Responsibilities

As a merchant that accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, you must take extra care to protect cardholder data from internal or external compromises. Data security should be a key component of all merchant policies and practices related to payment acceptance and transaction processing. Customers seek out merchants that are reputable and reliable, they expect assurance that their account information is being guarded and their personal data is safe.

• Secure Storage: Merchants are responsible for insuring that account information is stored in secure, limited access areas. In addition merchants are prohibited from storing magnetic stripe information following a transaction and disclosing cardholder data to anyone—except if it is needed by a merchant bank, card issuer, or third-party processor to complete a sale.

• Prevent employee fraud scams: A merchant’s data security policies should also be designed to prevent fraud scams involving collusive employees. Whenever possible, account numbers should be encrypted or scrambled during transaction processing. Unauthorized electronic equipment—such as laptop computers—that can be used to steal or replicate account information should not be allowed in the workplace.
  

• Encryption Software: Data security should be of special concern to e-commerce merchants. Encryption software is required to protect account information during online transactions, and merchants must also ensure that account data cannot be accessed online. To make cardholder data “hacker-proof”, merchants can either use firewalls—which may include encryption, passwords, or other protections—or store the account data on a computer with no internet access.

ABC Website!

ABC Website!
We’re finally able to announce that our new web-site is live! Click on or go to www.abcprocessing.com and check it out. It will be improving as we go, so you can expect some exciting and very useful features that will be providing a host of benefits.