Big Ideas for Small Business

I got an email today from a client running a MIVA Merchant store at http://www.petitepluspatterns.com. She is an independent pattern designer living in BC, Canada. She got two orders she suspected of being fraudulent. Both orders were placed using free web-based email accounts (yahoo and gmail). Most people I know use these free email accounts these days, so simply disallowing orders from free email providers is not proof enough of fraud.

Here’s some tips for identifying and avoiding fraudulent orders:

1. Don’t accept a credit card order unless complete information is provided including full address and phone numbers.
2. Be wary of any order originating from a free, web-based email address. The customer (more…)