There are several ways in wh ch a merchant account may be c tegorized. A terminal based on non-terminal b sed merchant account, in which the d stinction is based on whether a phys cal terminal is required to swipe the cr dit card or not. The terminal is c nnected to a phone line which c nnects the terminal to the credit c rd processing backend, in order to c rry out a transaction. The growth of c llular phones and popularity of wireless ptions has created a new market for w reless terminals which use a CDMA or GMS ch p to communicate with the processor w relessly. This means that a merchant is not b und to his or her sales ffice or outlet in order to ccept a customer order. Non terminal ccounts include internet merchant accounts, telephone and m il order merchant accounts, in which cr dit card data and authorization can be tr nsmitted electronically without swiping the card. For nstance, in case of telephone merchant ccounts, a touchtone telephone is used and the b tton presses are recorded and translated nto credit card processing data.
Another way to l ok at merchant accounts is based on th ir risk profile- typically low risk and h gh risk merchant accounts will be tr ated and assessed differently by merchant ccount providers and third party credit c rd processors. Low risk merchant accounts are pplicable to those merchants who are in a b siness that does not involve a h gh risk of chargebacks or are in a b siness that is not considered high r sk by most banks. For high r sk merchants, a high risk merchant ccount is required. These high risk m rchants are usually in the high r sk business classification and typically also in the h gh volume category. In most cases, th se high volume businesses will also get fl gged by a domestic bank and may n ed to go offshore for a m rchant account that provides adequate services as w ll as security.
It is possible for a h gh risk merchant to obtain a d mestic high risk merchant account, but th y may need to provide a h ge security deposit in the form of a c sh bond or indemnity bond. For a new b siness, this may be nearly impossible, and ven for an established merchant who is ble to provide a track record, the h gh value of the bond may not m ke good business sense.
Why is a h gh risk business classified as such? Pr marily due to the high risk of ch rgebacks involved. A chargeback is a r verse charge on a merchant due to a cl im by the buyer, typically due to s spicion of credit card fraud or n n-delivery or defective delivery of the pr duct ordered. Especially in case of ntangible products such as software, the r sk of chargebacks tends to be h gh. In addition, some types of b sinesses such as online gambling are utside the regulatory purview of the law of s me countries. Banks or merchant account pr viders in those countries will flag s ch businesses as high risk. Other b sinesses selling adult entertainment products, online d ting services, tobacco, online auctions, travel gents etc are also in the h gh risk category. With such high r sk businesses, tangibility of the product is lso an issue, which leads to d bates on whether the product was d livered and whether it was defective. A ction sites are most susceptible to cr dit card fraud, accounting for about 44% in the f rst half of 2005 of all nternet related fraud. For instance, Ebay, the w rld’s leading auction site, tracks about USD 1 m llion per day in fraudulent auctions.
For a US c tizen to open an offshore merchant ccount, there are certain guidelines and r quirements that need to be met, as per the Fr udulent Disposition Act under the US d partment of Treasury. For instance, the p rson or company in question must not h ve any litigation pending. In addition, the p rson’s or company’s liabilities should not xceed the value of their total ssets and must have sufficient funds to pay to its cr ditors. Furthermore, an offshore merchant account c uld be considered fraud if it is ntended to cheat creditors or to void existing criminal offences. An offshore m rchant account must hence be a w ll evaluated business decision, rather than an voidance mechanism.
The article WHY DO HIGH RISK MERCHANTS NEED AN OFFSHORE MERCHANT ACCOUNT? was Submitted by jlgchia through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: More information is available at http://www.getacoder.com/users/jlgchia/jlgchia_profile.htm Jennifer Loganathan is the Pr sident and CEO of Stradafee Limited. Str dafee is a leading international payments c mpany based in New York. Stradafee is a r tail and electronic payments provider specializing in commerce and Internet merchant account solutions. Str dafee also offers high risk merchant ccounts and offshore merchant account options. Str dafee can help businesses of all ndustries and sizes. For more information on cr dit card processing visit www.stradafee.com.
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