eCommerrce Fraud Warning Signs
Card not present transactions (eCommerce)
These are sales over the internet where the customer and their card are not with you at the point of sale.
If you are suspicious of the card, cardholder or circumstances of the sale at any time we recommend you do not continue with the transaction or send out the goods.If you decide not to proceed once you have already processed the transaction, you will need to make a refund to the card. Card not present (CNP) transactions are considered high-risk because you have no opportunity to physically check the card or meet the cardholder. Although most CNP transactions are genuine, this type of transaction is appealing to fraudsters who want to obtain goods to resell easily for cash. So take extra care and always consider the risks before you process CNP transactions because you will be liable if a transaction is confirmed as invalid or fraudulent.
Look out for fraud warning signs
Here are some signs that an eCommerce transaction is likely to be fraudulent. Get to know them and make sure that all members of staff recognise them too. And remember that the first sign that something is wrong can just be a general feeling of unease. If that happens, act on your instincts and carry out further checks.
Risk Alerts – A risk alert from the payment service provider or acquiring bank. This indicates that there is a cause for concern and that further checks are required before an order is fulfilled.
Multiple Transactions – Multiple transaction attempts using the same or similar shopper details, such as name, e-mail address or IP address across one payment.
Different shopper details with one element the same – such as ten transactions from the same IP address giving different shopper names and e-mail addresses.
Multiple Cards – Multiple cards used by same shopper, especially where the card numbers are similar.
Card Testing – Obvious ‘card testing’, where the last four or eight digits of cards in a series of attempted payments contain similar numbers, or the card numbers are cycled repeatedly in a rough pattern or sequence.
Fake Details – Nonsensical shopper details, such as ‘[email protected]’ as a shopper e-mail address or ‘gdfgdfgfg’ as a shopper name or billing address.
High-Value Transactions – High-value transactions, especially where the amount is out of the ordinary for your usual daily processing amounts.
Mismatching Card Details – Card Security Code (CSC) or mismatching Address Verification Check (AVS). Consider rejecting orders that carry mismatches or carry out further checks.
Mismatching Billing Information – Mismatching combination of billing country, issuer country and IP country, especially, but not limited to, instances where the payment details are from any country or area which is associated with high risks of online fraud.
Unusual Delivery Locations – A delivery country that’s out of the ordinary for your business and regarded as high-risk