NOT-FOR-PROFIT COMPANY FELL TO CREDIT CARD SCAM

A local not-for-profit organization based in Chicago was victimized by a credit card scam called “card tumbling.” The culprits operate this type of scam by checking the usability of random stolen credit card numbers. The scammers process the card numbers to see if it still works.

Evanston Youth Lacrosse Association, a not-for-profit organization, teaches young boys and girls about the game of lacrosse for affordable rates. They offer nearly 20 scholarship grants to eligible children each year. The scholarship is given to children who want to join and learn about the sport but cannot afford it. The organization was surprised when they received a large bill from the credit card company in May.

iPayment, the company which handles the organizations’ payment system, did an inexcusable matter on the financial dilemma of the association. The company did not terminate the numerous attempts of fraudulent transactions. A month before the large bill was sent, the people behind the scam ran 23,000 duplicitous transaction attempts. This was the not-for-profit organization’s website.

The fraud transactions ran by card tumblers could have been dismissed by the payment company. iPayment did a dreadful thing about the scam because they were aware of where the fraudulent fees began and originated. Even with the information, they proceeded to charge the lacrosse association of fraud charges that amounted to thousands of cash.

According to Evanston Youth Lacrosse Association coach, David Singer, they don’t have the budget to incur a large expense using their credit card. They are a not-for-profit organization aiming to help kids who want to learn about lacrosse. It would be difficult for them to resolve the problem since they do not have many resources to settle the payments they did not even incur.

According to Tina Jamieson, the administrator of Evanston Youth Lacrosse Association, they need a refund because what happened to them was a fraud. Not only do they need to sustain the expenses for the scholarship grants they provide to children but they have coaches and field rental to pay.

Unverified transactions

The not-for-profit association suffered the consequences of card tumbler. The I-Team contacted iPayment to review and clear up the false transactions. It was successfully reversed. The payment company update the security parameters of the association. It was integrated so the recent fraudulent attempts do not reoccur.

iPayment has also issued a full credit to the organization for all fees related to these external fraudulent activities. Not-for-profit and charity websites become the usual targets of card tumbling scam because of the poor secure features of the website. People use the site for donations and pledges.

Evanston Youth Lacrosse Association and other organizations alike are suggested to have a better protection. It is also recommended to establish fraud prevention measures in terms of payment processing vendors. The donation amount must be regulated and kept in minimum. The credit card expiration dates and security codes must also be required.

• THE DOMINION GROUP INTERNATIONAL
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