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Joe Weppler / September 18, 2020

Chargebacks & Friendly Fraud

If your business accepts credit cards, you’re likely familiar with the basics of credit card fraud and chargebacks. If you’re not, here’s the rundown:

Banks, payment processing networks and fintech companies pump millions of dollars and countless research and development hours into keeping our payment options secure. Despite their best efforts, credit cards and PINs still get stolen.

In the case of true fraud, a stolen credit card is used without authorized access. If you’re unfortunate enough that the fraudster used the stolen card to pay for something from your business, you’re likely to be subjected to a chargeback when the fraud is detected. That means the real cardholder gets a refund, and that refund comes from your account.

It’s a pretty straightforward process. The cardholder notices a fraudulent charge to their card or their bank notifies them of suspicious activity. They then file a dispute about the transaction with their bank. The bank reviews the dispute, and if they think the cardholders claim is valid, they immediately issue them a refund. The bank then issues a chargeback to the credit card company, and the credit card company issues that chargeback to your business.

From there, you can either eat the cost of the chargeback and the associated fees, or you can dispute the chargeback. If you have sufficient evidence that the transaction was not fraudulent, the chargeback gets declined and goes all the way back down the line to the cardholder.

True fraud happens, and when it does, you don’t have many options as a business owner apart from eating the loss. However, true fraud isn’t the only source of chargebacks that you’ll come across as a business owner.

So called “friendly fraud” occurs when a customer, dissatisfied with some part of your product or service, requests a chargeback from their bank rather than come directly to you for a refund. While these types of chargebacks can be honest, they’re often cheap attempts from cardholders to have their cake and eat it too.

In the case of friendly fraud over a simple refund, you’re losing out on both the sale and the product. On top of that, you’re saddled with any extra processing fees that get tacked on for the chargeback. Plus, banks and credit card providers hate chargebacks. If you experience them frequently enough, you may find yourself being labeled a high-risk business, and that can come with significantly higher processing fees and extra rules.

While it is possible to fight a chargeback, there are pros and cons. If you can prove that the sale was legitimate, you’ll likely get the transaction amount back — plus you protect your reputation with the banks. On the flipside, not all chargebacks are fraud. Fighting a chargeback from a loyal customer who made a mistake or had a legitimate issue with their product can jeopardize your relationship with them. You might keep the sale, but is it worth it if it means you’re losing the business of a repeat customer?

At the end of the day, disputing chargebacks is a judgement call — and hopefully not one you have to make too often!

Joe Weppler / September 11, 2020

How the pandemic made AR and AI essential tools

As society started to adapt to the ‘new normal’, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies became essential tools to meet both professional and personal needs. Below is a list of three areas impacted by AI and AR technologies.

The Office

Social-distancing measures and other restrictions left companies wondering how to maintain day-to-day functions while following the new rules. Working from home was the most obvious solution, but there was still a concern about a loss of productivity. AI/AR were adopted by many companies to fill the gap between at-home and in-office work and keep productivity high.

The main benefit of AR is that it enables workers to work collaboratively from a distance. Videoconferencing over Zoom, or similar platforms, has become a staple during the pandemic, but VR technology takes it one step further. AR technology enables colleagues in separate locations to work in a shared virtual space and virtually look at the same object. AR is especially beneficial for people working on projects that require product design and other creative and hands-on industries.

AI has similarly been used to make working from home easier. To accommodate the mass number of workers switching to the home office, companies started to use more Chatbots and automated I.T. systems to help answer the questions employees had. AI tech is also used to automate scheduling and allow for the use of e-Signatures.

The Service Industry

New technological advancements always create a mass fear of job loss. During the industrial revolution, weavers prepared for the worst when the spinning jenny was released. Luckily, the revolution also created many jobs.

Workers today are not so lucky. The difference between the industrial revolution and the current pandemic-induced AI/AR revolution is speed. During the industrial revolution and more recent periods of technological revolution, the implementation of new technology was slow. Workers had time to retrain and find other avenues before the technology took over. Since the pandemic put AR/AI implementation into overdrive, there was no time or resources available to retrain staff and many were left without work.

Workers in the service industry were hit the hardest by the transition. To follow government regulations and reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19, companies quickly replaced workers with machines. Hotel chains deployed robots to assist guests to their rooms. Call centers replaced people with chatbots to answer questions virtually. Tollbooths are now run by AI operators. The list goes on and on.

 Retail

Retail brands needed to find a way to quickly adapt to COVID-19 restrictions and regulations without risking the ambiance of an in-store experience. AR was a perfect solution. AR has three main functions: visualization, annotation, and storytelling. Together, the three replicate the in-store experience from the comfort of the consumers home.

Brands like Amazon and Wayfair use AR to create an easier shopping experience. Amazon’s newly announced “Room Decorator” lets shoppers virtually place multiple items into pictures of their homes to see how it will look. Similarly, Gucci recently partnered with Snapchat to let users try on eight of its shoes virtually.

Before the pandemic, AI and AR were used by retail brands to generate personalized recommendations, answer questions with chatbots and provide a realistic look at a product. Now, for many businesses, it has replaced the in-store experience entirely. Jon Cheney, CEO of Seek AR, predicts the use of AR by retail brands will continue to grow even after the pandemic ends. Once people experience the ease and flexibility of shopping from home, they will no longer feel the need to go to a physical store.

 

For better or for worse, the recent increase of AI and AR technologies is undeniable. Both have quickly become essential tools used in sectors ranging from retail to healthcare.  So next time you are shopping online, visiting a hotel, or working from home keep an eye out for how your experience is being tailored by AI and AR.

Joe Weppler / September 4, 2020

Benefits of Banking with Biometrics

Picture this. You walk up to your front door and a beam of light scans your eye. The door opens and you walk inside. As you take off your coat, you receive a notification on your phone about an abnormal charge on your debit card. You lift your phone to your face and are instantly looking at your recent bank statement.

No, you have not been transported to a new spy movie. You are living in today’s world of biometric identification.

Biometric identification refers to technological systems and devices that allow machines to confirm an individual identity by comparing saved data to the live person. If you have a phone that you can unlock with your fingerprint or face, then you are using biometrics. Banks are one of many industries to turn to biometrics and have been working for years to implement it both in the front and back-end of their apps and services. The goal is to create a system that is safe and secure but still allows users to access services quickly and without hassle.

Improves Consumer Experience

When using traditional username/password identification, users need to either go through the ‘forgot password’ process and answer Knowledge-Based Authentication questions or contact a call center. Biometric identification removes this process and makes the app more user-friendly.

Increases Security and Fights Fraud

Since more people are using banking apps instead of going to brick-and-mortar locations, banks need to ensure their apps and websites are secure.

Banks consider biometric identification as a key tool for fighting fraud and securing financial and personal data. Biometrics have gone through rigorous testing and are found time and time again to be safer than traditional passwords and username logins. According to a study by consulting firm Deloitte, three-quarters of corporate cyberattacks are caused by weak passwords. The same study reported that 56 per cent of employees use the same passwords for personal and corporate accounts and 20 per cent share passwords with other employees. Hacks are mainly caused by human error and repetition of passwords.

By removing the need for a PIN or password, biometrics increase security and reduce the threat of information being compromised by hackers.

Fast and Accurate

The process of entering a username and password is relatively quick until you forget your password and must go through the ‘forgot password’ process. Now logging-in, which should have taken less than a minute, takes five or more. Banks were receiving negative feedback about the password process as people became tired of resetting and remembering passwords and wanted to find a solution.

Biometric identification makes signing-in fast and accurate. Users just scan their finger, face, or in some cases eyes, and login immediately.

Not a Perfect Science

Biometric identification is not perfect. Like any technology, there are weak points that need to be taken into consideration before use.  Biometrics’ main weakness stems from its main strength; only accepting a perfect match. This means if a person’s finger is greasy, there is background noise or poor lighting, the device will not recognize the person as a match.

Biometrics is also not immune to hacking and fraud. Sadly, as biometric technology evolves, so does malware. Since the introduction of biometric identification, hackers have started to use deepfakes and voice biometrics to trick the biometric software. Hackers will use AI technology to create a holographic image of the person or use audio manipulation to copy a person’s voice.

Looking on the Bright Side

These negatives should be taken with a grain of salt. You do not need to fear being locked out of your banking app if you just ate a large fry and have no napkins. Nor do you need to live in fear of a person making an AI replica of your face.

Many banking apps that use biometric identification use multi-factor authentication (MFA). This means the user can sign in either using the biometric scan or switch to a PIN or password. Even if your finger is greasy, you can still access your bank statements.

New software is being developed to identify and stop any attempts to fake a voice, face or fingerprint. One way to do this is with passive biometrics. Passive biometrics study the user’s inherent behavior, such as how they hold their thumb when they unlock their device, how they move the mouse, or how they type on a keyboard. These characteristics are taken into consideration when a user logs-in and prevents hackers.

It is also important to remember that for someone to hack into your account using biometrics, they would first need to steal your device. Luckily, it is much easier to tell if your phone has been stolen than it is a password.

Whether you are wary or excited about the use of biometric identification, it is clear it is here to stay. Banks and other industries, like retail, have become reliant on the security and efficiency of biometric identification.

 

Joe Weppler / August 28, 2020

The Evolution of the Electronic Signature

A lot was going on in the second century. The Roman empire enjoyed a period of prosperity lead by the “Five Good Emperors.” The Antonine Wall was built in Scotland, while the Antonine Plague ravaged the Rhine. Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu. And fastidious merchants in Jerusalem began adding written signatures to authenticate their transaction receipts.

Muslims took up the practice a few hundred years later, but it didn’t really become commonplace in Europe for another millennium after that. By the 16th century, literacy was on the rise and agreements were being put into writing more frequently. In 1677, an Act of the Parliament of England called the Statute of Frauds required certain types of wills, contracts and grants to be put in writing and signed to avoid fraud by perjury. The practice extended across the sea into colonial America, and the world’s obsession with wet-ink signatures only grew from there.

Signatures weren’t just for combating fraud. They became a cultural phenomenon. Signatures represented your word, and by extension your character. You could trust, both legally and morally, terms laid out and signed would be followed. If terms weren’t followed, there were repercussions.

In 1843, Scottish inventor Alexander Bain received British patent 9745 for his “Electric Printing Telegraph.” Nearly 40 years later, the first “scanning phototelegraph” was built. Xerox patented the first commercialized version of the modern fax machine in 1964. These inventions all contributed to the emphasis of signatures for authentication, even when two parties couldn’t be in the same room to shake hands.

Only a few years later, in 1976, Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman theorized the idea of a digital signature. The next year, the RSA algorithm was invented, which is used by computers to encrypt messages. In 2000, the ESIGN Act signed by President Bill Clinton established that electronic signatures have the same legality as a traditional signature on a piece of paper.

Fast forward to today, and the world is gripped by a pandemic that has necessitated doing our very best to avoid physical contact with one another, and by extension, things others have touched. Electronic signatures continue surging in popularity, with newer, faster and more secure programs hitting the market every day.

While laws are different everywhere, general legal requirements for a signature are met by an electronic signature if it:

  • Adequately identifies the signatory
  • Adequately indicates the signatory’s approval or acceptance of the information
  • Is as reliable as is appropriate under the circumstances of the signing

Electronic signature programs have several requirements to be considered reliable, but there are two main ones. The first is that the means of creating the signature is linked to the person signing the document alone. Secondly, if any changes to the signature or documents are detectable digitally through the verification of data integrity.

While it’s clear that signatures have come a long way from the markings of authentication by merchants in Jerusalem, they still have the same end-goal — intent to hold up your end of a bargain, and verification that your word is the truth.

Joe Weppler / August 21, 2020

Cardboard Thieves are Making Millions Off Your Trash

If the cardboard in your recycling bin disappeared overnight, would you complain? Probably not. Instead, you’d just be happy it’s gone. After all, that’s why you’re putting it in the bin in the first place — so waste haulers can take it away.

However, in cities from Los Angeles to New York to Madrid, it’s often not the legitimate recycling firms doing the pickups. Instead, it’s cardboard trafficking gangs beating them to the punch.

Southeast of LA in Huntington Beach, waste management and environmental services companies claim that half to three-quarters of the cardboard that gets thrown in commercial recycling bins is stolen before their drivers pick it up.

“They know our routes and they get there before we do, and they pop the lock and they pull it out,” said Sue Gordon, vice-president of public affairs at Rainbow Environmental Services in an interview with The Associated Press.

At the recycling centers, these cardboard gangs are pulling in nearly $100 per ton of cardboard. They’re often soaking their stock in water to increase the weight. The sheer amount of cardboard that a city produces means that these thieves are making tens of millions of dollars — and you can bet that they’re not paying a cut to the city like legitimate haulers do.

Across the ocean in Madrid, police estimate that almost half of all cardboard put into recycling was being stolen. In February of 2020, the Spanish Guardia civil police force arrested 42 suspected cardboard gang members on suspicion of environmental offenses and money laundering. These gang members were accused of stealing more than 67,000 tons of cardboard per year since 2015. By Madrid’s estimate, they cost the City Council a total of €16 million in recycling revenues. That’s just under 19 million USD.

In New York, gangs circle the city in large rental trucks, scooping up the so-called “beige gold,” and delivering it to processing centers. It’s tough work, but the payout is quick and reliable. Their biggest enemy is New York City’s Business Integrity Commission, whose mission is to eliminate organized crime from public wholesale markets, trade waste and shipboard gambling industries. The BIC was formed in the early 2000s after the Mafia began inserting itself into the city’s waste management trade in the 1990s.

The BIC licenses legitimate waste-removal companies who sign contracts with the commercial establishments in the city to haul away their waste. These licensed companies are losing millions of dollars in revenue every year on cardboard, simply because the thieves are beating them to it.

According to AMCS, a global software solutions platform designed for the solid waste, recycling and material resource industries, the annual value of legitimately recycled cardboard and other paper is expected to climb to $5.4 billion globally by 2024.

So next time you throw some cardboard in your recycling bin, keep an eye out for the unmarked Econolines and rented U-Hauls prowling the streets. You never know who could be looking to make a quick buck off your trash!

Joe Weppler / August 14, 2020

COVID-19’s Impact on the Fintech Industry

At the intersection of financial services and technology sits the fintech (financial technology) industry — the workhorse behind several important and growing merchant services technologies such as digital currency and mobile payments.

Financial services are a ubiquitous aspect of economic stability. The methods through which we spend, save, and share our money are as important to keep in mind as the methods through which we make them. After all — what do the dollars in your bank accounts mean if there aren’t any safe ways to access them?

The fintech sector is just as susceptible as the rest of the world to the coronavirus pandemic. As the great race to adapt continues, one thing is certain — our services need to adapt with us. Thankfully, financial technology is doing just that.

Digital is Mainstream

In the early 2000s, financial institutions were just starting to take their first steps into the world of eCommerce. Flash forward a couple decades, technological advancements and the ever-growing dependence of humanity on the internet have made digital finance paramount. The technological advancements that drove the shift to digital stem from one of the fintech sector’s main ethos’: that financial services need to be accessible to everyone, including those with lower incomes.

The coronavirus pandemic has only further emphasized the need for digital financial services. ATMs are avoided, the use of cash has significantly decreased, and physical bank locations are operating on reduced hours. Thanks to fintech, we’re still able to access and spend our money, even while large banks struggle to adapt.

The Fight to Survive

On the flip side, the fintech sector is not without its struggles when it comes to the pandemic. Humans are creatures of habit, and when times get tough, we usually fall back on what we know works. In other words, smaller fintech start-ups that were making good headway poaching customers from big banks have found themselves struggling to maintain their progress. Experts have attributed this to the fact that big banks have big brand recognition — and the relative safety of familiarity works in their favour.

The Future of Fintech

Despite the skepticism people may have towards smaller startups, the continued emphasis on technology will inevitably cause the fintech sector to grow. Intelligent Automation (IA) is immune to coronavirus. Technologies like eWallets and contactless payment will continue to swell in popularity. Digital Know-Your-Customer solutions and counter money-laundering technologies will become more and more vital. And fintechs will continue to play an important role in driving the evolution of financial services.

Joe Weppler / August 7, 2020

How has the Novel Coronavirus Affected 5G Adoption?

The impact that COVID-19 has had on the world cannot be understated. While it was originally downplayed as little more than a variant of the flu, it quickly shut down entire nations. The speed of the economic collapse due to the virus was unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes. Confirmed COVID-19 cases across the world exceed 19 million at the time of writing, and deaths have surpassed the 700,000 mark.

In the telecom world, people had different expectations for 2020. This year was supposed to be the year that 5G went mainstream. The fifth-generation tech standard for cellular networks is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together, with higher speeds, lower latency, increased availability and more reliability.

Global operators started launching 5G networks in early 2019, and many countries expected to see their nationwide 5G mobile networks up and running by now. But by the time that the Mobile World Congress (the world’s biggest mobile conference) was cancelled in February due to the pandemic, telecom professionals knew that the 5G rollout would be slowed.

Some of the world’s earliest adopters and pioneers of the 5G rollout are the United States and China. The telecom companies based in these countries are absolutely critical to the continued rollout of 5G in other countries across the world. Unfortunately, they are also among the countries most severely impacted by the virus, which originated in Wuhan, China and has infected more than 4.9 million people in the U.S.

Even though the coronavirus has slowed down the worldwide rollout of 5G, the technology is more critical now than ever thanks to the changes that the pandemic has caused. With the rapid growth of remote-work in order to comply with social distancing regulations, more people are using their home networks than ever before. From work to communicating with family to spending time with friends — 5G makes it all easier and smoother. The benefit of 5G to video conferencing alone is worth noting in the new normal. Despite the impact of the virus, one thing will always remain true: as the demand grows, so must the supply.

So while the virus has slowed down the rollout of 5G, it certainly hasn’t stopped it. In fact, on the network infrastructure side, some carriers have actually benefitted from the fact that the coronavirus is keeping people indoors.

“We have been able to continue to build during this time of COVID and even accelerate that build in certain markets,” said Heidi Hemmer, Verizon’s vice president of network engineering.”

In particular, tower climbers have been able to work without interruption, and fiber layers have been able to speed up their pace thanks to relatively low traffic on city streets.

It remains to be seen how this pandemic affects 5G rollout long-term. While it has certainly had an impact, telecom analyst expect growth to pick up over the second half of 2020 as coronavirus lockdowns ease globally, 5G networks expand and more 5G devices become available.

Joe Weppler / July 24, 2020

How are Couriers & Customers Coping with Coronavirus?

Due to the integral role they play in managing supply chains in the modern world, small package shipping & courier vendors were considered essential businesses when governments across North America laid out plans to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s business as usual. Couriers such as FedEx, UPS, Purolator, USPS and Canada Post have had to make several changes and concessions to make sure they’re keeping themselves and their customers safe while still delivering much-needed goods. Here are a few examples of what the new normal looks like within the realm of small package shipping.

Preparedness Planning

Shippers across the continent have established task forces specifically designed with developing business continuity plans to keep their packages moving and the supply chain open. This includes not just plans for dealing with service interruptions, staff shortages and package backlogs, but also specific pandemic-related issues and oversight. Along with these task forces, they have placed an increased emphasis on contactless delivery and online tools to help reduce physical contact, as well as enhanced volume tracking to better help customers plan out their shipping solutions.

More Specific Delivery

Several couriers have created or otherwise enhanced delivery customization services to make sure that customers can get their packages where and when they need them. This includes the ability to leave more specific instructions for the drivers delivering your packages, and the ability to reroute or reschedule packages that have already been shipped in order to meet your needs should a unique situation arise. Gone are the days where a package could only be sent to your home or work. Better delivery options will definitely stick around long after the pandemic has been declared over.

Hands Off

While the World Health Organization has stated that the likelihood of novel Coronavirus actually contaminating cardboard or similar shipping containers is low, people just don’t want to take chances right now. Can you blame them? Small package shipping vendors have expanded their no-touch policies in various ways. In order to minimize physical interaction, most vendors have suspended physical signature requirements for regular deliveries. In some cases, customers are asked to verbally verify the name on the receipt in lieu of a signature or show government-issued ID to confirm they’re the package’s intended recipient. In addition to contactless delivery, vendors are limiting the number of customers in their shipping centers, wearing masks while conducting deliveries, and maintaining proper social distancing.

The Coronavirus pandemic is a scary thing – which is why we commend those front-line workers who deliver the services we desperately need. Whether it’s nurses, waste haulers or small package delivery drivers – you have our thanks.

Joe Weppler / July 17, 2020

Safely Disposing Workplace Personal Protective Equipment

In order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, employees across the world are turning to personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace. As more and more workplaces reopen, safe disposal of PPE will become even more important. So what are the safest methods of disposing of PPE? And what services are available to help expedite the process?

What does appropriate PPE look like?

The types of workplace PPE can vary greatly depending on the work environment and also the services provided. PPE could include single-use gloves, aprons, gowns, respirators and face coverings like surgical masks, goggles or face shields. Employers should contact their local health unit and consult the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in order to ensure they’re providing proper PPE based on their unique situations.

PPE should be provided by the employer. If an employee wants to provide their own PPE, their employer must be able to ensure that they will follow the proper protocols in regards to cleaning, re-use and disposal, and that the PPE is properly suited for its intended purpose.

Safe Disposal

Wearing PPE helps to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, but only if it’s properly disposed of. In fact, if PPE is not properly disposed of, it can increase the likelihood of transmission.

PPE generated from businesses reopening and employees returning to work does not legally require special disposal by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) That being said, cautious employers everywhere are seeking the best disposal methods to ensure the safety of their employees.

According to the WHO, face masks, gloves and paper tissues should all be hygienically disposed of in a closed bin. Touchless bins are even more safe, such as those that use automatic sensors or foot pedals. With each bin, consider also putting up posters outlining the proper removal of PPE. Gloves and a mask should be worn when removing the bag from the bin, and the bin should be treated with a registered and graded disinfectant before a new bag is placed.

Waste Disposal Services Tailored To Your Environment

Many waste disposal companies are now offering solutions for workplace PPE disposal, from simple pickup to legitimate medical waste disposal solutions. As more and more employees return to work, these services will likely expand.

These services include features like pickup frequency tailored to your needs and both regular and mail-back disposal. Disposal of medical waste by mail was already common when it came to getting rid of sharps, but disposal companies have begun to expand the solution to include PPE. Reach out to your waste disposal vendor and inquire if they have any specialized services to help reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 within your workplace, and if not, what steps they recommend you take.

Joe Weppler / July 10, 2020

Mobile apps see large increase in popularity due to COVID-19

According to a recent market data report from app store intelligence firm App Annie, consumers who are spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic have been increasingly turning to mobile apps for their shopping, entertainment and productivity.

App Annie found that app usage grew 40% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2020 — hitting an all-time high of over 200 billion hours during April. Consumer spending on apps and in-app purchases hit a record high of $27 billion in the second quarter, and overall app downloads approached a high of nearly 35 billion.

Such significant increases can be attributed to the social distancing and lock down regulations that the vast majority of the world have undertaken in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Social lives have gone increasingly mobile — one example being the Houseparty social network. The app allows you to video call your friends, and it saw an increase in downloads of more than 700% by the end of Q1 2020.

In North America alone, video chat and online conferencing apps saw an increase in downloads of 627% percent, and an increase in daily active users of 121%. The star of the video conferencing boom is Zoom, which managed to expand its overall user base by 300% in under a month.

On the reverse side, hospitality, tourism and travel app downloads decreased by 12% in North America. Airline apps saw a similar decline, as well as real estate and car rental apps.

The app stores themselves have also clearly benefited from the pandemic. iOS downloads grew over 20% year-over-year to nearly 10 billion new downloads in Q2 while Google Play downloads grew 10% to 25 billion. Within these stores, non-gaming focused apps represented over half of the new downloads on Android platforms and 70% of the new downloads on iOS.

Strong growth outside of games included apps falling under various categories including entertainment, health & fitness, photo & video, entertainment, tools, health and fitness and business.

Overall, these significant surges in popularity have been a boon to app creators and aggregators across the world, but as countries begin to ease their restrictions and put less emphasis on the need for social distancing, these developers need to be wary of the return to normal. While downloads are important, the true signifier of success is the daily active users (DAUs.) The most successful app developers will adapt and maintain the momentum the pandemic has given them in order to keep their DAU numbers high despite the inevitable decrease in downloads.