If you’re selling online, you need to know a thing or two about eCommerce security. Online ticket bookings are a favorite place for scammers to try their luck. Paying with stolen credit cards or providing false contact information are two of the most common fraudulent behaviors. These incidents are not only frustrating to deal with but can sometimes be damaging to your business.
To avoid falling into this trap, we have compiled a few tips to enable you to use the advantages of online ticketing features without all the trouble.
In this article you will learn:
- What are the most common types of fraud when selling online.
- How to monitor and recognize fraudulent activity.
- How to protect yourself from cases of fraud.
- What you should know about SSL certificates.
Ready? Let’s go.
Common types of fraud when selling tickets online
Wrong shipping address
If a customer address seems a bit strange, it’s worth having a closer look. Caution is especially advised if the address is to a vacant building, a hotel, or is located within a country known for scams. Have you received several bookings from different customers with the same address? Again, be cautious and check the individual bookings very carefully.
How to deal with this issue:
If you notice these types of inconsistencies, you have several options for getting to the bottom of things. Compare, for example, the customer’s contact information with the provided shipping address. If you notice deviations, enter the data into a search engine to verify the authenticity of the address in question. If there are still doubts after this research, call your customers directly to inquire about the validity of their payment.
False credit cards
The total amount due is an important indicator to consider when it comes to false credit cards. If a new customer has made an unusually high-priced booking, this could be an indication of fraud. A customer who has made several large orders in a short amount of time may also warrant a closer look.
How to deal with this issue:
To verify the accuracy of reservations, the same applies here as with the address. In case of doubt, contact the customer before accepting the booking. In addition, you can offer all relevant payment methods to ensure safe online bookings. PayPal is a very popular payment method that offers a safe alternative to credit card payments, benefiting both you and your customers.
Stealing customer data
If customers input sensitive data through your website like personal details and credit cards, you could be a potential target for hacker attacks. It’s important to take the necessary safety precautions here. Not just to keep your business and customer data safe, but also to comply with legal requirements.
How to deal with this issue:
Installing an SSL certificate is one of the most common ways to encrypt sensitive data submitted through your website. This way, it’s much harder to gain access to the information, even if you become the subject of a hacker attack.
What You Should Know About SSL Certificates
Since Google announced in 2014 that SSL Certified websites would be awarded with a boost in their SEO ranking, many site owners have made the switch to a secure HTTPS site. But some leisure providers are struggling to understand exactly what a secure HTTPS site and SSL Certificate is and how it benefits their business.
What is an SSL Certificate?
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is encryption that helps to provide a secure connection over the internet between your clients and your server. Having an SSL certificate for your online ticket shop is a must. It helps your customers confirm that your site is safe and trustworthy. SSL works to protect payment data, personal location information, and credit card information. With SSL, the extremely sensitive and private data of your customers is protected and unreadable to third parties who may be trying to steal their valuable information. Having an SSL Certificate means your site is HTTPS secured and will be displayed as a secure site on your URL address.
Authentication
SSL Certificates are important for any e-commerce shop and are used to prove the authenticity of a website owner. The certificate will prove that you own the domain and are indeed a registered business. Without this extra layer of protection, secure online shopping would not be possible. An SSL will keep logins and signups on your site secure as visitors are shopping or logging into their accounts. The SSL Certificate can help you make your site visitors feel more safe and secure when giving permission to use their personal and private information on your site. This can turn into other business benefits; such as converting visitors into customers.
Which Type Of SSL Certificate Is Right For You?
There are several types of SSL Certificates and the prices between them will vary. Here are three types you can choose from:
1. Single Domain: This is a single SSL Certificate and is suitable for small businesses, personal websites, and bloggers. This option will secure one domain and ensures the information exchanged through this connection is safe and secure from any interception by third parties.
2. Multi-Domain: This SSL Certificate protects multiple domains and is more suitable for someone with multiple websites, service providers, and anyone wanting to secure several domains.
3. Wildcard Certificate: The Wildcard SSL Certificate is perfect for larger websites with multiple subdomains. It’s ideal for securing multiple login areas and portals.
All three types of SSL Certificates will secure your domains and block them from third parties trying to intercept private information exchanged on your site. The cost of SSL can be expensive and complex. But with the risks and costs evaluated, SSL is well worth the investment. Its benefits include a small boost in SEO rankings from Google, increased security and privacy, and receiving better referral data so that you can properly track where your traffic is coming from.
SEO Benefits from having an SSL certificate
There are a few SEO benefits involved for those making the switch to a secure HTTPS connection.
*As far as Google is concerned, sites with SSL encryption are eligible for a higher ranking score.
*With an SSL Certificate, your website is maintained through a secure HTTPS connection, versus those which are not secure (HTTP site). Thanks to this secure connection, your referral data is not lost in translation. With this secure connection, you can be sure you’ll be able to efficiently track where your traffic is coming from.
However, if you do not make the switch to a secure HTTPS site, Google displays this when visitors reach your site. This is a major drawback and may drive customers away from your business. This display is a huge red flag for site visitors and will make them feel unsafe before they even get the chance to browse your site.
Here’s an example of what internet users see when encountering an unsafe site:
How to Install SSL
Buying an SSL Certificate can be done in several ways. The pricing can range and will be dependent upon your provider.
The certificate can also be set up by your hosting provider, on your server. Once it is set up, your shop and URL will show up as HTTPS – when you click on this area of your address bar, you’ll see your SSL certificate as your site visitors would with the small lock icon, which ensures your site has been verified.
Conclusion
Ecommerce security is crucial if you’re selling tours and activities online. Whether it’s fake bookings or hacker attacks, it’s better to be safe than sorry in this area.
You should be able to spot fraudulent activities and deal with them quickly. This way, you get paid safely, provide a better service, and comply with regulations that ask you to monitor cases like these.
Apart from vigilance, a wide range of payment options and data encryption are factors that significantly increase your eCommerce security.
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