Head of Card Scheme Compliance at Chargebacks911 Explores How SCA Rules Impact Merchants
Chargebacks911 Head of Card Scheme Compliance Tracy Cray is one of Europe’s leading thinkers in payments and finance. In a new feature published by the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), Tracy explores a recently-published whitepaper and examines how Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) will affect online sellers.
MRC is a global membership organization connecting eCommerce fraud and payments professionals through educational programs, online forums, career development, conferences, and networking events. MRC boasts a membership network of more than 500 companies, including 350 merchants. We at Chargebacks911 are proud to be among those members.
SCA rules were adopted throughout the European market as an effort to protect customers and prevent fraud. However, the situation is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.
“Merchants have already raised concerns about increased friction during the checkout process due to SCA,” Tracy said, noting early stats from Microsoft that show a connection between SCA and cart abandonment. “Worrying as that may be, there are other roadblocks to consider. We’re likely to see some confusion about SCA liability and applicability with different regions and transaction types to name just one.”
Tracy also warns of the risk posed by complacency in other areas of fraud management, like in dealing with friendly fraud. However, there is good news; practices like Transaction Risk Analysis and other exemptions could thread the needle to prevent merchant losses.
