I don’t know about you, but I am very suspicious when purchasing ANYTHING over the internet.  Yea, I know, I know… I’m on a secured website and the merchant takes every precaution to protect my identity… blah…blah…blah.  You know as well as I do, nothing is guaranteed and identity theft continues to be a major problem with cyber criminals constantly finding new ways to get your personal information. According to newly published data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. households experienced about $13.3 billion in losses tied to ID theft in 2010. Protect yourself and your family!

ILD provides a safer alternative for online purchases with our Home Telephone Billing option.  How can I be sure the creepy neighbor’s kid isn’t going to charge the latest online game’s secret maps and an arsenal of cyber guns to my phone bill you ask?

Well, ILD verifies the consumer identity before we bill to the phone.  First we make sure the name, address and phone number match exactly to what is on file with the telephone company.  If the information provided does not match we do not allow billing to your telephone number.

Yes, we understand that your name, number and address can be easily obtained using the local telephone directory or internet search.  That is why we gather additional information at the time of signup which includes the Merchant website address, the IP Address of your computer, and personal data such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name and/or social security number.  ILD verifies this additional information using the industry leader in credit and identity verification, LexisNexis.    LexisNexis compares the data provided during sign up to a variety of records (public and government) to verify your identity.   This again, must be a match or it’s a “no go” to billing.

And similar to the credit card companies, ILD is passionate about consumer protection.  If you are charged for a product that you did not order or authorize ILD will open an investigation.  ILD will credit fraudulent charges and work with the Merchant to ensure future fraud is prevented for all consumers.

Just like that – Bill to Phone is simple, convenient, and most of all safe alternative to a credit card.

For more ideas from ILD Teleservices to get the most of your billing, contact Laurice Neely at 210-592-0881 to set up a personal one-on-one evaluation and solution session.

Laurice Neely is Executive Director, Alternative Payments for ILD Teleservices.  She is a guest blogger and can be found on Twitter @lauricen. 

Some merchants are under the impression that the approval process for phone billing (also known as LEC approval process) is too cumbersome, with too many questions, and too many forms to fill out.

At first glance they may be right, but think about it.  The phone companies (or local exchange carriers – LECs for short) are basically extending membership in their “club”.  It’s their phone bill page; they want to know everything about the business applying for “membership”.

When you apply for membership in a club, apply for a credit card or a bank loan, forms of all lengths are always required.  The merchant approval process is no different and it is really all information very familiar to you.  Some of the question topics include:

• Corporate officers
• Tax ID
• Type of business
• Services being sold
• Sales process

We all know that information.  Marketing materials and scripts are normally already developed and available, so there should be no stressing there.

Plus, ILD’s Client Relations team provides assistance to all merchants with questions on the forms or with the materials needed, so put the aspirin bottle away.  Increase your revenue stream and bill your subscription services on the phone bill.  This alternative payment method has led to increases in revenue and subscribers of up to 25% for many online merchants.

Have a question about the process?  Ask me anytime on Twitter @kmcq45, or call (888) 453-2666 to learn more.

Kathy McQuade is Vice President of ILD’s Payment Services Division, ILD Teleservices, and has worked with ILD since 1997.