Episode Details

A man enters the wrong pin at checkout, gets declined, tries again, and on the third failed attempt the terminal lets him through anyway, just sign here. Ritesh Kotak explains exactly how that happens and why most people have no idea their card can be approved this way.

The real cost of that gap doesn't land on the credit card company. It lands on the small business that took the payment in good faith, and Ritesh walks through how a chargeback process built to protect shoppers has quietly turned into a weapon against the people selling to them.

Every login today demands a code, a tap, a second verification, except at the register, where none of that applies. Ritesh explains the actual business math behind why that gap exists and who's expected to absorb the cost when it fails.

Topics: chargeback fraud, credit card pin security, small business fraud liability, online purchase security, payment authentication

GUEST: Ritesh Kotak | http://riteshkotak.com

Originally aired on 2026-08-20