10 steps to beat fraud

2-minute read

By Harésh Bajaj, Senior Product Manager
Tue Oct 17 2017

Trying to protect your business against online fraud is like playing a high-stakes, never-ending game of whack-a-mole.

Every time you think you’ve fended off a threat, another scam artist will pop up with new ways to get around it. If they get through, you could face negative press, angry customers and huge financial losses. Online fraud cost UK SMEs almost £11 billion in 2015/16, according to the UK’s national cybercrime reporting centre, Action Fraud1.

And the number of attacks is going up. The BBC reports that a financial scam was committed every 15 seconds in the first half of 20162 , while The Independent notes that almost a million SMEs (875,000) across the UK have been affected by a cyber-attack in the last year3.

Is cybersecurity compatible with convenience?

Unfortunately, safeguarding against unknown threats can conflict with the realities of day-to-day business. For example, security measures can slow down your customer’s experience – a major consideration in a competitive marketplace.

It’s also not cheap; last year UK SMEs spent £2.9bn on improving cybersecurity – an average of £1,600 per business4.

10 ways to tackle fraud from your desk

So how do you protect yourself while maintaining a friction-free checkout process?

Well, here are 10 things you can do today that will help:

  1. Check that you’ve adopted the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). If your business takes card payments you may be required to adopt it, and it will help cut down risks of a breach.

  2. Implement security basics. Barclaycard have teamed up with the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council to produce The Guide to Safe Payments, which you can download today.

  3. Download the published resources for small merchants to simplify payment security.

  4. Make sure all your software and malware protection is up-to-date with all security patches installed. If you’re registered for online banking with Barclays, you can get free Kaspersky security software here.

  5. Use strong, unique passwords. Change all your default passwords.

  6. Test your e-commerce and internet perimeters. You can use Barclaycard Data Security Manager to scan for and report vulnerabilities.

  7. Securely configure your business’s firewalls, internet gateway and network device to reduce the risk of cyber intrusion.

  8. If you take payments online, make sure you’re using a secure e-commerce gateway that lets you set security parameters, such as Barclaycard SmartPay5

  9. Know that you’re not alone. List your trusted partners and make sure you know how to contact them.

  10. Read up on simple ways to help protect your business from cyber-attacks.  


Remember, reducing your data security risks means you’re helping the collective fight against criminals and reducing potential for fraud. One of your biggest allies in this will be your payment providers, who will help you find the fraud protection that best fits your business and budget.

At Barclaycard, we can advise you on how to set up ‘invisible’ payment structures so your customers’ experiences are streamlined, and to help you continue trading and reduce impact on your business if you’re targeted.

We’ve also outlined our top methods to protect against payment security fraud. To find out more, just click on the link below, or speak to your Barclaycard adviser today.

Protect your business against security fraud 

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