Details regarding an internet scam seem to make news headlines on a daily basis these days. In fact, industry group UK Finance has suggested that over £500 million had been stolen from consumers of British banks throughout the first half of 2018 alone. Of that total, £145 million was as a result of authorised push payment scams — a con where people are deceived into sending money into another account.
It shouldn’t only be consumers who are concerned about internet scams though, as it is often the case that businesses are also targeted through them. With the online market incredibly competitive, however, companies must do all they can to ensure the public trusts them. Holiday park WiFi providers Infinium, which also offers a range of IT security services, are fortunately on hand to advise firms on the measures they should be taking to make sure that everyone understands that a business’ interactions online are indeed legitimate…
1.Have you made your privacy statement accessible to everybody?
Browse a website of a major retailer and there is a very good chance that their legal privacy statements will be available to read somewhere on the site. It’s important that your legal privacy statement is filled with details about how you work to protect the information that consumers give about themselves — such as their personal details and credit card information.
2.Can customers check your ISO certification?
Your website should also be displaying the logo of the certification body which issued your business with an ISO certification. This is because customers can then search for the certification body in question and get in touch with them to verify that your company is in fact legitimate.
3.When necessary, are customers led to a trusted payment gateway?
Made the decision not to have your own payment service on your website? Then make sure you opt for a trusted payment gateway which can conduct online transactions on your behalf. PayPal and WorldPay are two firms which instantly come to mind, with both helping to make consumers feel secure.
4.Does your website contain details of your registered address and landline phone number?
As a legitimate online business, a registered address and phone number should both be simple to find on your website. There are some additional considerations to bear in mind here too.
Potential customers may sometimes make the effort to visit the registered address of a company to check that all is genuine before they commit to an investment. Therefore, ensure there’s either a sign or some indication of your business’ presence within the office or building where the address is linked to.
A landline number is also a wise choice when selecting your business phone number. While a mobile number doesn’t mean that a firm isn’t legitimate, its presence will instantly see potential customers put their guard up. Of course, people may call the number to check that it’s genuine as well, so make sure it’s always a member of staff who answers the call and that they introduce themselves with a professional greeting and mention of the company name.
5.Has SSL security protocol been implemented throughout your website?
Secure Sockets Layer is the meaning behind the acronym SSL. It’s a security protocol whereby the channel of information between a customer and a business’ website is encrypted. Therefore, credit card details will be ‘scrambled’ and hackers will not have the opportunity to intercept the information that consumers ae sending to retailers.
Implement SSL security protocol across your website and your customers will quickly know this to be the case. This is because your site’s URL will alter from ‘http://’ to the more secure ‘https://’. What’s more, on the left-hand side of the address bar will either be an unbroken key or a closed padlock — if these icons look to be broken or open, it could well indicate that there’s something wrong with the site’s SSL.
6.If you deal with financial products & services, is your business on the FCA register?
Head to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registerand you’ll discover an in-depth database containing information about every financial company that is registered and regulated by the FCA. It stands to reason then that your company should be on this register if you deal in financial services or products, as consumers can then easily check your firm’s credentials by just searching for your brand’s name and/or the postcode associated with your business.
Follow each of the steps we’ve discussed in this article and your consumers will be reassured that your online business is indeed legitimate.
