Merchant Stronghold

Other Fraud Prevention Information Resources

Here are helpful sources that can provide more information and assistance on avoiding credit card fraud in your business.

Online

  • www.visa.com – Includes tips, regulations, news and fraud features from VISA. (Choose option for merchants/businesses.)
  • www.mastercard.com – Includes tips, regulations, news and fraud features from MasterCard. (Choose option for merchants.)
  • http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp – United States Postal Service website to validate an address physically exists. This does not confirm that a person lives at the address, but does confirm the address is real.
  • www.ic3.gov – Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) The IFCC is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. This site allows victims of Internet fraud to report fraud online to the appropriate law enforcement and regulatory authorities.
  • www.forwarders.com – This is a list of freight forwarders. Many times international criminals will ship to these addresses and have the order sent on to its final destination(s) by the freight forwarding company.

Phone

  • VISA Merchant Verification Service 800-847-2750 AUTOMATED
    Option 1, Address Verification: enter in the numeric portion of the street address, zip code, and VISA card number and it will advise you if there is a match. Option 2, Issuing Bank Phone numbers: enter the VISA card number and it will provide you with the 800 number for the issuing bank if available.
  • MasterCard Assist 800-622-7747
    Select your language preference, then Option 2. Enter the MasterCard card number and it will provide you with the 800 number for the issuing bank if available.
  • Discover Address Verification 800-347-7988 AUTOMATED
    You will need your Discover Merchant number. Enter the Discover card number and address information, and it will advise you if there is a match.
  • American Express Address Verifications 800-528-2121
    Option 3 allows you to verify the name and address of a particular AMEX card number.

These Fraud Prevention Tips are not an amendment to your Merchant Processing Agreement, the Terms of Service, or the Merchant Operating Guide, governing your processing relationship with Merchant Stronghold. These Fraud Prevention Tips are provided to enhance your awareness of circumstances in which potential fraudulent activity may occur and offer suggested measures to combat, reduce, or minimize the impact of the acceptance of fraudulent transactions.