E-commerce Fraud 101: Account Takeover

In the battle against e-commerce fraud, it is incumbent upon online merchants to know the enemy and the tactics they employ. When it comes to account takeover, online merchants face the added challenge of recognizing a fraudster masquerading as a valued and trusted customer. In this blog post, we will provide you with information on what account takeover is, and how to combat it. Account Takeover As the term suggests, account takeover is a type of fraud attack where a fraudster gains access to a good customer’s account. The takeover can occur in a number of ways but one of the most common is when compromised information from a data breach gets into the hands of a fraudster. Even if a fraudster doesn’t get unhashed usernames and passwords, other sensitive information can potentially be used for social engineering or other exploits. Malware, such as a keylogger, or phishing scams are other common ways for fraudsters to get a hold of the keys to the castle.