How to handle a high risk fraud alert for my first sale?

[EcomPerry]

I have my first sale... annnd it's a high risk fraud alert, so as excited as I want to be even if the sale goes through its just not, this process has been confusing. 

A customer got flagged as a fraud risk, I decided to immediately reach out to them on email and get some information from them. I asked for them to send the front and back of the card they used for the purchase. The "potential" customer/scammer replied with concerns of their CVV code being exposed and asked to send just the front of the card covering all numbers but the last four and that's it no back of the card or anything.. 

Now I cannot see the CVV so I'm guessing Im fine on asking for the back and I don't need the back screenshot, as for the front on the billing info, I can only see the last four digits, which is what the customer would be showing me on the screenshot.

is it okay to just receive the front of the card and just those four digits? Everything else checks out, here is the screenshot of the analysis.

Fraud Analysis of 1st customer

[Beacon-Jason]

Hi @EcomPerry ,

The customer has the right not to send you a screenshot of the back of the card, due to security concerns and I don't recommend you asking for their card number as this information can be mis-used if it falls into the wrong hands. You will also risk turning down good customers if you ask for this information in the future. 

With this said, there is no absolutely sure way to know if the order is a legitimate fraud order. Shopify's flag system can be a hit or miss situation and serves as more like a warning system.

As a personal recommendation, I would consider taking a look at the conversion summery and see how the customer found your site. You can read more about it here. https://blog.lizuna.com/shopify-fraud-prevention-tips-here-are-five-things-you-need-to-look-at-to-pr... You can also actively call the customer on their phone and have them confirm their order information. Sometimes you can tell something is wrong by listening to their answers.

However, with this said, sometimes it's better to just cancel the order and move on since you still don't have much experience knowing who are you typical good customers are.

I hope this helps.  

[EcomPerry]

 I'd let people know that in other forums on this same topic about the credit card as I got it from here and it was upvoted twice, thought it would be a good solution: https://community.shopify.com/c/payments-shipping-and/high-risk-of-fraud-what-should-i-do/td-p/38538...

Nevertheless, thank you for your link, the customer sent the back of their card but I guess I won't continue this in practice...

[Emily]

Hi, @EcomPerry. 

Thank you for providing that information to me. The only reason I advise not asking for a credit card number and CVV through email is for security reasons as that information is sensitive, and you do not want it in the wrong hands. It is totally up to you if you feel comfortable asking for that information, but a piece of ID matching the credit card they used is also a great way to verify an order.

Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[Emily]

Hey, @EcomPerry.

Thank you for reaching out, and thank you, @Beacon-Jason, for your help. 

Congratulations on your store and first order! I understand your concern with this high-risk order. Asking for a piece of ID to match the name on the credit card is a great way to verify an order detail, as sending your card number and CVV is not the safest route. Shopify's fraud analysis will detect if something is flagged on the back end and explain why. There is no way for us to know for sure if an order is legitimate or not, but we have fraud protection in place to protect our merchants as best we can. Ultimately the decision is up to you if you feel comfortable fulfilling the order. 

I wanted to provide you with a Fraud filter app that allows you to create custom filters, flag suspicious orders, and block certain known customers. It is an excellent second piece of fraud protection on your store should you feel you need it. 

Please let me know if you have any further questions! I would love to learn more about your business. What type of products do you sell? 

Talk soon,