Imagine the following fairy tale. The castle gates were under attack. Invaders swarmed from all sides, trying to breach the defenses and steal from within. But these were no ordinary invaders – they came in the form of fake online orders, 11,232 of them, all attempting to flood the kingdom with fraudulent activity and noise. This is a classic case of a “card check” hack, an annoying part of the industry that often leads small businesses to hold the proverbial bag. If you read the terms of service of most payment processors, the small business eats the transaction charge upon refund. This feels backward but so is life.
In this tale, the knights on duty knew they had to act fast. So the motley crew donned their digital armor and sprang into action, determined to defend their kingdom against these fake-order invaders.
While ongoing, despite the late hour, they implemented strict security measures to protect against future attacks.
Then they went on the offensive, manually reviewing and canceling any fake that had made it through the initial defenses.
It was a challenging and annoying battle, but the knights were up to the task.
In the end, they emerged victorious. The fake orders were defeated, and the castle gates were secure once more.
But the knights knew that the threat of invasion was always present, and they remained vigilant in their duties, ready to defend their kingdom at a moment’s notice.
Such is the life of a knight in the digital age. But with bravery and determination, any kingdom can be safeguarded against the forces of fraud and deceit.
I like to believe these tales have a happy ending and the awful band of marauders eventually get what’s coming to them. The Grimm ending for Cinderella is a touch graphic. Maybe, that’s being naive or a tale to make one feel better. Yes, invaders and thieves can justify their actions all they want. But it is stealing, even if it is on the other side of an ocean. And the true knights will eventually find you.
Onward and Vigilance because stories matter.