The payments & online selling stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Fake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourselfSecurity firm Flashpoint says criminals are trading in refund tricks, gift card fraud and hacked online stores ahead of the holidays. Shop owners should check their refund steps.
Read more: Scammers are targeting store refunds and gift cards before the holidaysMastercard describes AI tools that could buy things for you, and says trust is the hard part: who gets to spend your money, and under what rules.
Read more: Mastercard outlines how AI assistants could shop and pay for youMaya has joined a Philippine Justice Department group built to trace scam money and freeze fraud accounts. Users of payment apps should know the tools they already have.
Read more: Philippine Payment App Maya Joins Government Push to Freeze Scam AccountsAvenuesAI says its revenue rose 47% in the second quarter. The figure comes from the company, and key details are still missing.
Read more: AvenuesAI says its second-quarter revenue grew 47%Amazon has blocked Meta's AI product Muse, a sign of the growing fight over who controls online shopping when software does the browsing.
Read more: Amazon blocks Meta's Muse as AI shopping helpers threaten adsMexico's online shopping is projected to hit 17.7% of retail sales in 2026, and stores that blend web, phone and shop floor are pulling ahead.
Read more: Mexico's Online Shopping Grows Up as Stores and Apps MergeVisa expects U.S. holiday sales to grow 4.5%, the best showing since 2021, but shoppers are watching prices closely and many plan to trade down.
Read more: Visa expects holiday sales to rise 4.5%, the biggest jump since 2021A streetwear chain is rewriting its product pages for AI bots, and big retailers are split on whether to let outside AI shop on your behalf.
Read more: Stores are now tuning their websites for AI shopping botsA security article warns that AI shopping assistants should never be handed the one-time codes stores text you. Scammers could use the same trick.
Read more: Never give your shopping assistant the code texted to youResearchers found 820 fake sites copying 35 restaurant brands. They show real menus, then steal card details and bank text codes at checkout.
Read more: Fake restaurant ordering sites are stealing card details and bank codesZipify says its OneClickUpsell app now works with Shopify's Sidekick assistant, so store owners can describe an add-on offer in chat and approve it.
Read more: Shopify store owners can now build upsell offers by chatting with AISeattle startup firmly raised $15 million to help online stores sell inside AI chat tools and other new channels without building new tech each time.
Read more: firmly raises $15 million to help stores sell through AI shopping toolsBMO announced an AI tool for its staff that aims to shorten card dispute calls and get some refunds to customers the same day.
Read more: BMO uses AI helper to speed up credit card dispute callsSynctera raised $24.5 million, saying more banks are returning to BaaS, the setup behind many app-based accounts and cards. Safety checks are part of its pitch.
Read more: Synctera raises $24.5 million as banks return to fintech partnershipsFirst Citizens Bank plans to offer services at NCR Atleos ATMs inside Target stores, which could give its customers more places to bank.
Read more: First Citizens Bank will offer services at ATMs inside Target storesVisa ran tests to see how AI agents handle real purchases, and the results could shape whether you let software spend your money.
Read more: Visa put AI shopping assistants to the test with real purchasesA YouGov poll for ACI Worldwide finds most UK adults would stop using an AI shopping agent after one mistake, even as tech and payment firms push the tools toward checkout.
Read more: Most Britons would ditch an AI shopping assistant after one errorAnthropic's Claude can now link to your bank accounts and answer questions about your spending. It only reads your data, and it is limited to paid plans.
Read more: Claude can now read your bank accounts and answer money questionsShift4, which handles card payments for restaurants and hotels, cut its yearly targets as diners and European travelers spend less, and it expects weakness into 2027.
Read more: Card payments company Shift4 cuts its outlook as diners and travelers spend lessRep. Bill Foster's draft bill would have the Fed test software that gives regulators a faster view of bank health and cuts paperwork for small banks.
Read more: A House Democrat wants the Fed to test faster bank health checksTruist says its new digital sign-up cuts the time to start taking card payments by up to 80%, and it is opening Clover to more clients.
Read more: Truist speeds up sign-up for small businesses that take card paymentsSamsung's Galaxy SmartTag 3 is on sale online from $29, but it skips Google's larger Find My network, which matters if you want to track keys or a bag.
Read more: Samsung's new $29 item tracker is now on sale onlineThe FBI says three people used AI copies of CEOs and lawyers to trick employees into wiring $129 million. Any business that sends wires should take note.
Read more: Three charged over $129 million fake-boss scam using AI voices
