I’ve been researching return fraud patterns for a project, and I wanted to share some practical things any merchant can check manually. These don’t require any tools — just your Shopify admin and a spreadsheet.
1. Export your returns and sort by customer
Go to Orders > export, and filter for returns from the last 6 months. Sort by customer email. Look for anyone who has returned more than 3 orders. Check their return rate (returns / total orders). Anyone above 50% is worth a closer look.
2. Check the timing gap between delivery and return
For your top returners, note how quickly they file the return after delivery. Consistent returns within 1-3 days, especially with vague reasons like “changed my mind” or “not what I expected”, is a common wardrobing signal.
3. Cross-reference returns with chargebacks
This is the one most people miss. Pull your chargebacks for the same period and check if any order numbers appear in BOTH your returns list and your disputes list. If a customer got a refund through the return AND won a chargeback, they were refunded twice.
4. Look at return reasons by product
If one product has 3x the return rate of similar items, it might be a listing problem (wrong sizing info, misleading photos) rather than fraud. Fix the listing and your return rate drops without any fraud detection needed.
5. Weekend vs. weekday return patterns
Some categories (fashion, accessories) see a spike in returns filed on Monday/Tuesday for orders delivered Thursday/Friday. This can indicate event-driven wardrobing (buy for the weekend, return Monday).
None of this is foolproof, but it’ll give you a clearer picture of whether you have a fraud problem or a product/listing problem.
Happy to discuss in the comments if anyone has questions about specific patterns.