The Australia Payments Clearing Association (APCA) has launched a new initiative to help combat online card fraud.

The online program in conjunction with the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) and the Australian Federal Police, Get Smart About Card Fraud Online, is designed to raise awareness among small to medium sized merchants of the risks of online card fraud and provides users with tips, information, advice and video case studies for doing business online.

Chris Hamilton, CEO, APCA, said that some new merchants to the online space don’t realise that just by taking a few simple measures they can reduce the risk of falling victim to online card fraud.

“Just as retailers carry out simple security checks when taking card payments face to face, certain checks need to be done when taking payments online,” Hamilton said.

“This initiative is the culmination of close industry collaboration with retailers and law enforcement to provide a safe online environment for consumers and businesses alike,” he added.

“It’s also about recognising which transactions are particularly risky and dealing with them sensibly.

If an order seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), said that Australia’s small online merchants can’t afford to ignore the increase in online card fraud and the financial risk it entails.

“What makes Get Smart About Card Fraud Online stand apart from other fraud prevention materials out there, is that it really gives Australian online retailers valuable knowledge on how criminals operate.

I highly recommend the program to any merchant selling online,” Zimmerman said.

The program has been funded by Australia’s financial institutions and developed in conjunction with representatives from the card schemes, merchants and the Australian Crime Commission.