Segurança Pagamentos Online: como evitar fraudes?

There are more and more online businesses, a greater offer and a greater number of consumers: this may be the image of e-commerce in Portugal. But this growth and penetration of e-commerce in consumer society brings two major challenges for companies and customers: how to avoid online fraud and promote payment security?

The main risks of online payments for companies

Despite the fact that the annual report on payment systems by the Bank of Portugal indicates very low levels of fraud in the online payments with bank cards, the same cannot be said for transfers. an area in which the work of criminals is made easier in their attempt to steal consumers' security credentials in order to initiate fraudulent payment transactions in their name.

In total, the accumulated losses from fraudulent payment transactions totalled 5 million euros in the first half of 2023 alone.

In addition to direct financial losses, payment fraud reduces consumer confidence, which is reflected in greater shopping cart abandonment during checkout (checkout with payment) and consequently fewer sales.

Added to all this is the corruption of customers' personal data, which must be kept confidential and which can lead to heavy legal proceedings which, once again, damage the image of the business and can turn into major financial losses.

Good practices to guarantee security in digital payments

In order to prevent the risks we are talking about from becoming a reality and to guarantee the security of digital payments, there is a guide to good practices that your company should follow.

Among other things, your business should:

Get a Security Certificate

To let those who visit your online shop know that the online payments offered are secure, obtain a TLS Certificate (Transport Layer Security).

This certificate will transform your "http" in "https" and promote secure communication throughout the network, preventing, among other things, tampering and fraud in email, browsers and messages.

Establish a transparent privacy policy

This privacy policy must include,

  • identification of the entity responsible for processing the data and the data subject
  • what kind of personal data your company processes
  • how data is protected during an online payment

You could also have a FAQ section in your online shop and provide relevant information for your customers, including contact details for the relevant regulatory bodies.

Above all, it is essential that all the information contained in your privacy policy is transparent and accessible.

So to increase your credibility with consumers, we recommend that you share clear and simple information, not only about your privacy policy, cookies and data processing, but also about the products and services you offer, including return rules, costs and additional fees.

Invest in online payment solutions adapted to your business and your customers' habits

Guaranteeing the security of online payments also involves investing in secure solutions that are adapted not only to your sales platform, but also to the habits of your customers and potential customers.

In addition to helping you reduce cart abandonment at checkoutThese payment solutions, particularly those covered by the EMV 3-D Secure security protocol (or EMV 3DS), guarantee the security of online payments, thereby helping to increase customer confidence.

Tools and technologies to protect your company's payments

Protecting payment data is a non-negotiable for any online business, and yours is no exception.

In line with the good practices we mentioned earlier, REDUNIQ, the only Portuguese acquirer with PCI-DSS certificate(an international security standard that guarantees that a payment company adheres to security standards and good practices) offers you two options online payment solutions safe, fast and suited to your business and your customers' needs.

The first of these, created with those who sell through a professional online shop in mind, goes by the name of REDUNIQ@E-Commerce.

  • REDUNIQ@E-Commerce

This payment gateway, which allows you to sell online directly from your business website, is characterised by,

  • be simple and quick to integrate (you will have all the support you need from our technical team for implementation);
  • no membership fees or monthly instalments;
  • your business accepts online payments with debit and credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) from customers all over the world.

In terms of operation, simplicity is the rule.

After adding the products and services to the shopping basket, this solution will redirect your customers to a secure UNICRE payment page where they just have to enter their card details to have the transaction validated by the issuing bank.

Once the transaction has been validated, the purchase price will be transferred to your bank account within a few working days.

But e-commerce isn't just about professional online shops.

Thanks to marketplaces and social networksMany of us saw e-commerce as a way of selling without having to invest in a website. For them, receiving payments online is no longer a headache with a turnkey solution REDUNIQ@Payments.

  • REDUNIQ@Payments

Without the need for integration or a website, but with the security provided by the EMV 3-D Secure protocol, once you have contracted the REDUNIQ@Payments solution, your online business will be able to receive online payments via a link by e-mail or SMS, WhatsAppby Multibanco or MB WAY reference with Visa and Mastercard.

As with the REDUNIQ@E-Commerce solution, REDUNIQ@Payments is extremely simple to operate.

At the time of payment, this turnkey solution provides you with a platform, optimised for smartphones and tablets, where you can create a payment link which you then send by email, SMS or WhatsApp to your customer.

When the customer receives and clicks on the link, they will be redirected to a secure UNICRE payment page.

Once you've made your payment, you'll receive confirmation of it and you'll be able to have the purchase amount automatically paid into your bank account.

Educating your staff and customers about online safety

Prevention is undoubtedly the best practice against e-commerce fraud.

So, in order to promote best practices for payment security in your company, not only for customers, but also for your staff:

  1. Give guidelines so that your employees respect the privacy and customer data processing policy promoted by the company;
  2. Protect your company's electronic equipment with an official antivirus, something that should extend to the advice you give your customers;
  3. Don't send your customers links that redirect them to your sales site, as this could be mistaken for phishing;
  4. Inform your customers that they should not use public Wi-Fi networks to shop online;
  5. Your customers should not use the same password on all their devices, as this jeopardises the security of their personal data;
  6. Urge your customers to read the online shop's privacy policy and protect their financial data to ensure secure digital payments.