Monica Eaton Says COVID-19 is Driving Risk of Online Ordering Abuse
Chargebacks91 COO Monica Eaton recently sat down with Mickey Alam Khan of Luxury Daily to discuss “buy online, pick up in-store,” or “BOPUS” fraud in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Luxury Daily is the world’s leading luxury business publication covering strategy, tactics, execution, and results for luxury marketing, retail, media, digital, and geopolitics across all mediums and channels. They feature industry news and analysis from the world’s leading luxury brands and retailers, as well as research, case studies, and industry-expert opinion pieces.
The COVID-19 crisis caused a dramatic social upheaval in the first half of 2020. With consumers engaged in social distancing, contactless purchasing channels like BOPUS became very attractive options. As with any development, though, fraudsters quickly found a way to abuse the practice.
“Fraudsters are, above all, opportunistic,” says Monica. “They’re always looking for ways to exploit new developments in business and technology and use them for their own purposes before everyone gets wise to what they’re doing.”
Fraud is impossible to eliminate entirely. As long as channels exist to make purchases, criminals will find ways to manipulate and abuse the process. The best way to fight back against fraud is to develop a strategy that embraces that reality.
“The key is understanding that fraud is never-ending and ever-changing. Merchants can’t to stop every incident of fraud, and new threats will inevitably catch them off-guard from time to time. The best response is a dynamic, comprehensive fraud prevention strategy.”
