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How to Prevent Ecommerce Fraud

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Posted 19th October 2015 at 09:19 AM by repricerexpress

Nobody likes getting ripped off, so read on to avoid learning it the hard way. RepricerExpress has put on its magic cape and learned the sneakiest tricks people play so you won’t have to be the victim of them. Here’s what to watch for.

When The Delivery Address Drastically Differs From the Billing Address

Most people will have their shipping and billing addresses be the same. Sometimes there’ll be a slight difference, like if they’re having it shipped to a PO Box, but the vast majority of the time it’ll be within the same area or country.

But if you spot an order where the shipping and billing addresses are in different countries, a red flag should go up — especially if that order is a bit on the pricey side. You don’t necessarily have to cancel the order, but do email your buyer to ask why that is. If then you don’t get a good answer, it’s up to you to listen to your gut and cancel or send the shipment.

When the Delivery and Order Points Drastically Differ

Closely related to the above point is where the order is placed and where it’s delivered to. Let’s say you get a nice-sized order for electronics from overseas — but the buyer wants them delivered locally.

There’s always the chance that the buyer is using a mail-forwarding company, so go ahead and ask them what’s up. If that’s not the answer they give (and don’t fill in the blanks for them when asking, either!), then a more nefarious possibility exists. It could be they’re sending something to a safe house domestically so they can flee the country with the goods with nary a trace.

When They Place Big, REALLY BIG, Orders

It’s kinda normal to see pretty big orders at certain times of the year, like Christmas or other holidays. But if you get a whopper-sized order on a seemingly slow day and it’s not a regular customer (i.e. it’s a shopper who’s bought with you plenty of times and just this time put in a larger-than-normal order), watch out.

Also, if you get a huge order in general no matter what the time of year, like 10-30+ orders from several SKUs, then put your guard up big time. It’s a huge red flag that you’ve got to watch out for. And if it’s a well-intentioned buyer, then they’ll have no problem answering a few questions so they can get their order.

When They Order Really Frequently

There are some orders that you’ll people placing all the time, such as for everyday throwaway items like toilet paper, contact lenses or groceries. But for other orders, it could be a red flag if the consumer keeps ordering big shopping lists with unsettling frequency. Ask yourself why anyone would need to do that and again, don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper into the order.

When They Pay Extra for Faster Delivery

Some people are really impatient to get their order as soon as possible. If they’re regular buyers, they’ve probably signed up for something like Amazon Prime to take advantage of faster delivery. I remember when I ordered a pillow from Amazon and it was so ridiculously soft and comfortable, I placed an order for another one and had it delivered for the next day.

But fraudsters have a slightly different frame of mind. They want to get their hands on the goods as soon as possible and don’t care about paying extra, most likely because they’re not using their own money to pay for it. It’s one thing if you get an expedited delivery order for something small, but if it’s for a pretty big order then you’ll want to put on your reading glasses.

When They Try to Use Different Credit Cards to Pay

Here’s how credit card fraud works, in a nutshell: hackers pay a fee for a bunch of credit card numbers and their expiry dates, then use those numbers to make as many purchases as possible. Smart credit card owners will report their cards as being lost or stolen right away, but many won’t.

However, hackers and fraudsters have no way of knowing which card has been cancelled and which one’s still up for grabs, so they just try them all. Keep this in mind if you get an order where the buyer tries to use multiple cards for the same order. There are rare instances where it could be legitimate, but usually not.

At RepricerExpress, we want you to stay safe and secure while also pulling in as many sales as possible. To achieve the latter, it’s best practice to go with awesome repricing software (hello, self plug!) so sign up for your 15-day free trial and start patting yourself on the back.
Posted in Repricing, Ecommerce
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