Level: 
Novice to expert
Duration: 
2 days
Certification: 
Yes

Who it is for

Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost - that is Web Shield Academy's guiding principle.

Our courses are built both for payment professionals starting out in the industry and those who want to broaden their knowledge. It uses high-risk business and fraud scenarios to give participants a thorough understanding of the practice of merchant acceptance.

That way, it is useful for underwriters and risk manager as well as sales and account managers at acquirers, payment service providers, or other payment processors.

What to expect from a course

A course is headed by experienced risk professionals, who know the ins and outs of underwriting in a high-risk environment. They teach you in a structured way about various online business models and test your knowledge and investigation skills against real-life test cases.

Don't expect boring lectures: A Web Shield Academy course is filled to the brim with practical, immediately applicable advice. In the many hands-on case studies, you will learn how to conduct effective open-source intelligence gathering and come to your own conclusions about who you are dealing with: Legitimate business? Or sophisticated fraudster?

Meet your peers

In addition, an Academy course gives you the chance to connect with other professionals in the industry and learn from the challenges they face.

Course content

View full agenda
Fundamentals of the credit card business
A foundation in card payments and underwriting

This module introduces you to your course instructors and Web Shield. You will gain a good understanding of card payments, the risks associated with underwriting merchants, and the tools required for this process.

Introduction to transaction laundering
Fighting fashionable fraud

Many believe that transaction laundering is the new face of fraud. In this module, you will learn how this crime can often go unnoticed, hiding in plain sight. You will also discover the keys to spotting it before it becomes an expensive problem.

Online investigation strategy
Putting knowledge into practice

Now that you have the background information, it's time to learn the practical side of things. This module teaches you where to find information on the companies you are underwriting and the individuals behind them with the help of a practical example.

Understanding cryptocurrency merchants
How to take digital currency to the bank

While the entire premise of cryptocurrency is security, the market also leaves ample room for scams and other criminal activity. However, this should not deter underwriters from operating within the crypto arena. This module will teach you the dos and don'ts of conducting crypto due diligence.

Blackhat SEO and phishing
How to spot search engine manipulation

Fraudsters can manipulate search engines like Google to mislead people into spending money. Blackhat SEO comes in many forms. In this module, you will learn how to spot one of the most elusive types of fraud.

Tools for website risk assessment and undewriting
Get familiar with the underwriting toolbox and how to use its contents

In this module, you will be introduced to the main indicators of fraud, such as document verification, information from trade registries, and ultimate beneficial owners. You will also gain an understanding of how to utilise these tools.

Business-related risk
Types of businesses and how their risks differ

Learn about the various business categories, especially about the ones being considered high-risk by the card associations, and understand how their website-related risks differ from each other.

Fraud trends
A look into the current fraud landscape

Get insights into what fraud schemes Web Shield's underwriters see in the wilds and learn about the latest card scheme updates.

... and several live underwriting case studies. Subject to change.
There are currently no courses scheduled. Reach out to register your interest or request an in-house training.
Our lecturers

Industry insiders and experienced underwriters

At Web Shield, we don't just sell tools for merchant underwriting, we live it. Our underwriters work on tricky cases from all over the payments industry, which serve as a basis for our course content.

A headshot of Andreas Stedry

Andreas Stedry

Managing Director

Web Shield's Managing Director coordinates a team of experts while still doing hands-on casework.

A headshot of Franz Reinhöfer

Franz Reinhöfer

Head of Underwriting

As Web Shield's Head of Underwriting, Franz is a specialist in identifying shady business practices.

Gabriela Cernalev

Online Analyst

Gabriela is an expert in card scheme rules and laws for high-risk industries like crypto and CBD.

Bring your team to the next level

No fitting dates for classroom courses? Register your interest with us or order an in-house training.