Fraud costs businesses valuable time and money so it pays to be vigilant of unusual account activity.
If you see a few of these 12 signs of possible fraud, delay order fulfilment while you check it out.
If you receive an order from a new customer that’s larger than your average order size, especially if it’s for a product in high demand or high value, like electronics or jewellery, be cautious.
For example, 10 orders from Australian customers at around 3am on the same day.
If you receive more than 50 orders from customers overseas within a few days when you normally only receive 2 a month, that could be a sign of something going on.
If a customer orders 50 pairs of the same shoe in various sizes, for example, ask yourself if that makes sense.
Fraudsters often steal credit cards from multiple people and ship orders to a single address.
This one doesn’t automatically indicate fraud – people have things shipped to work or friends to make things easier all the time. But if you’re feeling uneasy about it, look over at all the order details to see if anything else appears unusual.
Make sure their address change makes sense. Some fraudsters enter a valid address at checkout so your fraud systems don’t catch them, then contact you to change the address afterwards. Also, keep in mind that if you do agree to ship to another address, the sale won’t qualify for Seller Protection.
Be cautious if a customer provides several different credit card numbers. A fraudster may ask you to create multiple transactions using various cards. If you don’t already collect the name on the credit card, start requesting this information to help detect fraud.
Everyone wants their purchases quickly but, when express shipping costs become high and they’re still asking, take a moment to check over the rest of the transaction details to make sure you’re still comfortable with the order.
If the email address seems unusual, like knh$$yro123456@gmail.com, or your emails to confirm the order aren’t delivered, you might have cause for concern. Legitimate customers are more likely to use email addresses that contain their name.
Overpayment scams are common. If someone overpays you, don’t send the extra money back through a wire transfer, online banking transfer or pre-loaded money card. Instead, return the money with a refund on the initial PayPal transaction.
Before shipping an expensive order, make sure you know where the order is being shipped. Criminals may ship orders to freight forwarders, shipping companies, PO boxes or vacant properties so they can remain anonymous.
If you do receive an order you believe is fraudulent, you can give the customer a call to confirm the details or simply cancel the order and refund the payment through PayPal. If you’re not sure, get in touch and our team will investigate further for you.
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