Login will be available starting November 19th, 2020. Thank you for your patience!
Log in to Webshield Academy
Understanding Drug Merchants
The pharmaceutical industry is probably one of the most regulated sectors on account of public safety. What drugs, health-related products and cosmetics merchants are allowed to sell, how, to whom and where are tightly regulated by law. However, the internet as a sales channel is not.
Unscrupulous merchants exploit the complexities of selling drugs online, especially with changes in the law around cannabidiol (CBD), to circumvent legal, scheme or acquirer requirements to secure an acquiring contract. The downstream impact for acquirers and payment service providers can be significant, resulting in revenue loss, customer churn and disputes
This entry-level course is designed to provide a good grounding in drugs and pharmaceuticals, including CBD/THC sales. It covers some of the most common pitfalls for merchant acquirers, plus how to mitigate the risks. Packed full of real-life case studies and practical advice, this stand-alone course is ideal for those working in risk management or compliance at acquirers or payment service providers.
Learning Objectives:
Understand why the drug sector is high risk and high brand-risk
Be able to set drugs in their regulatory and legislative context
Know card scheme requirements around drugs, including CBD/THC
Understand how to manage the risks of drug merchants for business success
1
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Drugs & Pharma
10 Lessons30 minutes
We cover the historical background to narcotics legislation and pharmaceutical regulation in the main markets worldwide. This takes in the 1970s War on Drugs in the US, the birth of anti-money laundering regulation, originally designed to tackle the abuse of the global financial system by drug cartels, and the growth of online drug sales and legal highs.
2
Chapter 2 - Why are Drugs and Pharmaceuticals High Risk?
13 Lessons30 minutes
A deep-dive into why the drugs sector pose such high risks for acquirers. We cover everything from the products to the regulation, online sales channel and deceptive marketing practices sometimes deployed by unscrupulous operators. The overlap with the nutraceutical, weight loss and cosmetics sectors and the degree to which they are high risk is also covered.
Includes real-life case studies of the most common scams and practical advice for merchant underwriters on how to spot potential rogue operators.
3
Chapter 3 - Card Scheme Rules
6 Lessons10 minutes
Everything you need to know about registration on the card schemes’ high brand-risk programmes, plus the lowdown on requirements for acquiring drugs merchants.
4
Chapter 4 - How to Manage Drug Merchant Risk Exposure
10 Lessons30 minutes
Everything from how to conduct KYC on drug merchants to reviewing business operations, legal opinions, marketing materials and web traffic to manage your risk exposure. Monitoring recommendations are also covered.
Do You Have Questions?
Drop us a message.
This website stores cookies on your computer.
These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you.
We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media.
To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.
If you decline, your information won’t be tracked when you visit this website. A single cookie will be used in your browser to remember your preference not to be tracked.