MOTO Fraud Warning Signs
Card not present transactions (MOTO)
These are sales made by mail or over the telephone 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 a transaction is likely to be fraudulent. Get to know them and make sure that all members of your staff recognise them too. Sometimes the first sign of fraud can just be a general feeling that something isn’t quite right. If that happens, act on your instincts and don’t send out the goods until you’ve carried out further checks.
Multiple or bulk orders – Watch out for customers buying lots of the same item – either in the same transaction or separately.
First-time customers who place multiple orders – The risk of fraud is smaller when dealing with customers you know.
High-value orders – Orders larger than normal may indicate fraud. High-value items such as jewellery or electrical goods are often targeted by fraudsters because they are easy to resell, so take extra care with this type of transaction.
Hesitant customers – Customers who seem uncertain about personal information, such as their postcode or spelling of their street name, could well be using a false identity. Also watch out for customers being prompted when giving the requested information.
Same name, different title – Could your customer be using the card of a family member?
Sales that are too easy – Be suspicious if a customer is not interested in the price and/or detailed description of the goods, but is only interested in delivery times.
Suspicious card combinations such as:
- Transactions on several cards where the billing address matches but different/various shipping addresses
- Multiple transactions on a single card over a very short period of time
- Multiple cards beginning with the same first six digits offered immediately after the previous cards are declined
- Customer offering multiple different cards one after another without hesitation when previous cards are declined
- Orders shipped to a single address but purchased with various cards
- Overseas shipping address – Be careful when shipping overseas, especially if you are dealing with a new customer or a very large order
- Different shipping address – Orders where the shipping address is different from the billing address may be legitimate (for example, when sending flowers or a birthday present) but requests to send goods to hotels, guest houses or PO boxes are often associated with fraud