A scam has popped up in the region that has targeted businesses through online sales.
The Upper Ottawa Valley (UOV) Detachment of the OPP says several businesses in their area have been targeted with card-not-present frauds. Scammers will place an order by phone, email or by website, and use a stolen credit card and a counterfeit driver’s licence. The business will purchase the order, and process the payment on the stolen credit card. When the real card owner disputes the unauthorized charge, the business receives a chargeback and is responsible for paying back the amount.
UOV OPP is urging businesses to verify payment information before they process them. Police say to watch for orders using different names coming from the same IP address when processing online orders for your business. They also suggest being aware that priority or urgent shipments with mismatched billing information could be a sign of fraud. Police say businesses should contact their payment processing services to see what options they have to prevent this type of fraud.