As your website becomes more visible on search engines, you will soon become the recipient of various techniques designed to scam your business.

One common scam involves a booking or order placed through the website (or by email) for an unusually large dollar amount. The scammer typically insists on paying very quickly using a credit card. The order is later cancelled, and the scammer demands a refund; of course, the original credit card was stolen and the targeted business will suffer a chargeback after they have have refunded the money.

Be very wary of orders that come in which pass several of these tests:

• The order is “urgent”
• The order is unusually large
• The buyer wishes to pay quickly with a credit card or by cheque
• The buyer is from a country with which you do not frequently do business
• The buyer has a poor command of the English language

If you are unsure, telephone the buyer, and ask for some form of identification that can be cross-checked with the form of payment being used (for example, a driver’s licence that matches the name on the credit card.)