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MRC Online Courses

First-Party Misuse Essentials

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The First-Party Misuse course provides an accessible, entry-level introduction to one of the most widespread and costly types of chargeback abuse in the payments ecosystem. Often misunderstood, first-party misuse occurs when a legitimate cardholder initiates a chargeback—either intentionally or unintentionally—on a valid purchase, resulting in financial losses for merchants and added costs for issuers.

 

MRC Members: USD $75 (plus applicable taxes)
Non-members: USD $150 (plus applicable taxes)

 


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This course equips learners with a clear understanding of what constitutes first-party misuse, the different types (hostile, confused, and unaware), how to measure its prevalence using compelling evidence, and strategies to mitigate its impact. From improving transaction transparency to deploying representment and fraud alert tools, participants will walk away with actionable best practices for managing and reducing first-party misuse.


FAQs

    • Customer Support and Fraud Operations Staff who review disputes and work with cardholders
    • eCommerce and Subscription Merchants who experience high chargeback volumes
    • Payment Professionals seeking to reduce preventable chargebacks and strengthen defenses
    • Analysts and Risk Managers looking to identify and quantify first-party misuse behavior
    • Customer Support and Fraud Operations Staff who review disputes and work with cardholders
    • eCommerce and Subscription Merchants who experience high chargeback volumes
    • Payment Professionals seeking to reduce preventable chargebacks and strengthen defenses
    • Analysts and Risk Managers looking to identify and quantify first-party misuse behavior
    • Program Level: Basic
    • Program Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
    • Program Delivery Method: QAS Self Study
    • CPE Credits: 1.0
    • Advanced Preparation and/or Pre-requisites: None

    • Program Level: Basic
    • Program Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
    • Program Delivery Method: QAS Self Study
    • CPE Credits: 1.0
    • Advanced Preparation and/or Pre-requisites: None

    • Define First-Party Misuse.
    • Recognize why first-party misuse is an issue that needs to be addressed.
    • Identify cardholder motivations for submitting first-party misuse disputes.
    • Differentiate types of first-party misuse.
    • Classify evidence criteria needed to measure first-party misuse.
    • Calculate the percentage of chargebacks coded as fraud that are the result of first-party misuse.
    • Outline best practice strategies for merchants, issuers, and card networks to prevent first-party misuse.

    Please allow 2–3 hours to complete this course.

    • Define First-Party Misuse.
    • Recognize why first-party misuse is an issue that needs to be addressed.
    • Identify cardholder motivations for submitting first-party misuse disputes.
    • Differentiate types of first-party misuse.
    • Classify evidence criteria needed to measure first-party misuse.
    • Calculate the percentage of chargebacks coded as fraud that are the result of first-party misuse.
    • Outline best practice strategies for merchants, issuers, and card networks to prevent first-party misuse.

    Please allow 2–3 hours to complete this course.

    • MRC Members: USD $75 (plus applicable taxes)
    • Non-members: USD $150 (plus applicable taxes)

MRC Education Accreditation

The Merchant Risk Council is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: nasbaregistry.org

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MRC Education Refund Policy

MRC Education eLearning course refunds and cancellations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Cancellations and requests for refunds must be communicated in writing to programs@merchantriskcouncil.org. Refunds will not be issued once a course is started. Additionally, courses must be completed within one year of the course enrollment date.