In 1996, two childhood friends founded the company “Epoch.” Many people wonder about what Epoch is. Initially, it functioned as a link between banks and online adult entertainment.
But, its functionality has expanded over time as it covers many industries.
Epoch is a payment service provider which helps merchants to receive online payments. Simply put, it passes the payment of bills from online web shops to your credit card.
Epoch is somewhat like PayPal. Specifically, it acts as a “gap filler” for high-risk merchants and a payment gateway.
Who is Epoch?
You might have a bizarre feeling if you jumped here after getting a bill for something unknowable. You might also worry about the insecurity of your private data (over formal documents). The risk of slippery money loss is also there.
Well, I got you covered right here! Epoch is a kind of Payment Service Provider. But what’s the difference in it? It belongs to a different dimension of functionality.
It sticks to the online payments made by you. But it carries out such charges from those online webs and merchants, which are high risk.
What industries does Epoch cover?
Some of these industries include:
- Firearms
- Adult entertainment
- Cryptocurrency
- CBD Products
- Nootropics
- Online betting
- Some dating websites.
The question pops up, why these industries? Because they pertain to a higher level of risk as the customers may default on purchases here.
These industries are where traditional credit card processors like PayPal are reluctant to get involved.
Epoch comes and plays the role of processing the payment for these online websites. Like a Visa or Mastercard, Epoch roles are like a credit card.
How does Epoch process payments?
You would have understood that Epoch works like a bridge. It functions similarly to traditional payment processors, but with a slight difference between online web shops and your credit card for payment processing.
It works in an online space.
If you buy something online from high-risk merchants, Epoch will bill your credit card. Banks such because Epoch handles the digital processing of your payment by itself. Bank will not process it.
Because of the third-party intrusion, the credit card will show Epoch as the reason for the bill. The original merchant will not get a display over the credit card.
It secures the communication and makes sure that the payment made is safe. It assures the merchant that the transaction will be successful. The merchant is also guaranteed an amount at the end.
Why is there a charge to Epoch on my credit card?
What does it mean if there is a charge to Epoch on your credit card? The information you provided to the online webshop was given to Epoch.
It can be from any high-risk or low-risk merchant. To understand this scenario, let us take an example.
Suppose you have made any subscription or online payment from a high-risk industry. Epoch will process this payment rather than other payment service providers.
Other service providers, such as PayPal, are highly authoritative. So, they don’t interfere in providing payment services to high-risk online web purchases.
Hence, Epoch works like a bridge between you and the high-risk site from where you purchase.
The information of payment goes to a payment gateway processor. This processor communicates with the bank. Hence, the bank then underwrites the customer’s credit card account.
Payment service providers accepting services from high-risk web services usually charge higher fees. That is because they are high-risk purchases.
These services are like adult entertainment, betting, or gambling sites.
Can I consider Epoche safe?
As with any other payment service provider, Epoch is safe! Most people will know that it has earned a reputation for providing security in online purchases. The sole purpose of Epoch is to provide safety and reliability.
According to Slintel, Epoch currently has a 0.18% market share with 595 customers. The top geographic areas for the Epoche service provider usage are:
- United States Of America
- United Kingdom
- Canada
It displayed the percentage data of the number of customers in these regions as below:
- United States (66.72%)
- United Kingdom (6.22%)
- Canada (3.53%)
What if I don’t recognize the bills?
It is a common scenario that you may expect to happen. You would turn, eager to see such unrecognizable bills. Most people feel like fallen victims of scams and fraud. This situation is understandable.
Because numberless possibilities can be there to rip a person apart, for example, one may have thought someone used their credit card.
Instead of worrying and getting panicked, you need to investigate those bills.
You can follow the step-by-step guide below:
Step 1: Receipt
The first thing to do is to check your receipt. You can expect this receipt to be in your email. “But how did it come to my email?”
According to Epoch’s policies, it sends a transaction receipt to your email. It does so after every purchase made by you. The token will include all the information related to your purchase. For example, information about the original merchant and your investment will be there.
Epoch on the credit card will never display information about the original vendor. Instead, the email shows that receipt.
The following information will be visible on receipt:
- Item purchased
- Name of the website from where you purchased
- Order ID
- Terms of purchase
- A link to customer services of Epoch
Until here, you would have recognized your purchase at some online web service. You are safe and sound, then!
But what if this is not the case? Follow the next steps for more security and investigation.
Step 2: Contact Epoch
If it is not the case like in step 1, worry not. This situation isn’t meant to be fraudulent. There is a possibility that Epoch has entered the incorrect email address of you.
There also is a chance that some factors don’t let Epoch send you an email or don’t let your email receive the receipt.
Here you are to contact Epoch and ask for help with your deducted amount. Look out at the Purchase Finder on the home page of Epoch. It is a vital step for security, and you must know it.
After contacting Epoch, ask them about the suspicious bill on your credit card. Epoch, in response, will share the transaction data with you. The data will contain all the information related to purchases made.
Hence, if you recognize your purchase from any high-risk merchant, it is a usual case. But, if you don’t remember it, notify Epoch immediately.
Step 3: Contact the card issuer
Keep in mind that a card issuer differs from a card processor. It would help if you visited the bank which has issued your card. Inform them about the bogus charges on your card.
What can they do in this case? Card issuers will deactivate your card so that no fraudulent charges can happen in the future. They will also review your account to scan any further forged charges.
After confirming your account, card issuers will provide more guidance to you on the steps to take ahead. Being authority, they will try their best to help secure your account. This step depends on the extent of bugging.
Step 4: Involve the Police
Although police rarely help in such cases, it depends on the number of fraudulent bills on your card. If the charge is less than a hundred dollars ($100), police and higher authorities are less likely to help much.
But if the case is the opposite, then you win! If it’s an excessive amount of fraudulent charges, the police can take direct action seriously.
Try to notice the information about the merchant. If you have any information that can help identify them, the police will come for help. That’s why it’s essential to know the identifying information about the fraud maker.
To sum up, we can declare Epoch as a linking party between merchants and you in online service purchasing.
By here, you have fully understood what an epoch is. That is why you need not fear seeing any unrecognizable bill on your credit card.
