As of Monday 14 March, 2022 stronger online payment checks have come into place to protect shoppers from fraud. The SCA requirements (Strong Customer Authentication) have applied to some transactions for several years but the new rules are now mandatory for retailers.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has outlined the factors that customers will be asked to complete to prove their identity when making a purchase. They must complete two out of three of the following:
Something they are – using a fingerprint or facial ID.
Something they know, such as a passcode or password.
Something they have, such as a verification code sent to their mobile.
Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the BRC, said: “Retailers have been working hard to prepare for the strong customer authentication requirements, ensuring online purchases are both as safe and easy as possible. The BRC and our members have worked with suppliers to ensure multiple fraud checks are performed behind the scenes and any additional friction is kept to a minimum. Customers should be reassured that buying online has never been safer.”
Affiliates should take note as their partner companies could be set to lose out on thousands of transactions if they do not have two-factor authentication processes in place.