As the payment industry continues to undergo significant changes spurred by strong innovation and new payment methods, online merchant risks are on the rise, making it challenging for payment providers to stay one step ahead. With an increase in data compromises and government regulations, as well as new compliance concerns, the importance of performing extensive due diligence before boarding a new merchant could not be greater.
Bringing on the wrong merchant can be detrimental to your portfolio, as you could potentially bear the burden of any fraud, card network compliance violations, chargebacks and data breaches, which can cost you extensive financial damage, not to mention legal and regulatory penalties. Unfortunately, many acquirers do not thoroughly investigate their merchants’ online presence and history of risk. The good news is that many of these potential threats can be avoided by ensuring you follow the right steps and knowing exactly what to look for during the merchant boarding process.
The following are five areas of a merchant’s history to pay extra attention to at boarding: