E-commerce fraud is not an isolated event, but a dynamic phenomenon that accompanies the evolution of payment methods and consumer behavior. As the purchasing journey becomes more fluid and digital, so too do the strategies used by fraudsters, requiring stores to increasingly carefully read the signs that indicate risk. Understanding these patterns is the first step in reducing losses and making more balanced decisions between security and conversion.
One of the most common methods involves using lists of stolen credit cards. In this type of operation, the fraudster tests the validity of these cards with low-value purchases, precisely to avoid immediate alerts. Once it is confirmed that the card is active, they make higher-value transactions, usually with products that can be easily resold, such as electronics. This behavior reveals an important pattern that should be observed: a sequence of small purchases followed by larger acquisitions in a short period of time may indicate an attempt to exploit the card's credit limit before it is blocked.
Another point of attention is so-called friendly fraud, which occurs when the cardholder disputes a legitimate purchase. It's not always malicious; often, the chargeback is requested due to lack of knowledge or confusion. The main types include:
- Use by family members: When a relative or dependent uses the saved card without notifying the cardholder.
- Forgetfulness: The customer does not remember making the purchase, especially with subscription services or advance bookings.
- Confusion over the name on the invoice: The company name that appears on the credit card statement is different from the store's trade name, generating undue suspicion.
- Deliberate bad faith: when the consumer receives the product or service and requests a refund, improperly claiming that they do not recognize the purchase or that there was a problem with the delivery.
In these cases, the difficulty lies in proving the legitimacy of the transaction without compromising the customer experience, as excessive requests for documentation can create friction and impact conversion rates.
Furthermore, unauthorized access to consumer accounts represents a growing risk. With lists of logins and passwords obtained from data breaches, fraudsters can access existing profiles and make purchases using previously saved information. Recent changes to sensitive data, such as delivery address or phone number, should be treated as warning signs, especially when combined with changes in the customer's spending patterns.
Given this scenario, fraud prevention involves a combination of strategies. Requiring the card security code remains a relevant layer of protection, although it's important to balance its use with user experience, especially in environments where digital wallets and saved data are part of the routine. Collecting additional information, such as CPF (Brazilian tax identification number), can also contribute, but should not be seen as the sole solution, as the data may be available in compromised databases.
The delivery address, in turn, is one of the most valuable indicators. In many cases, the fraudster avoids using the cardholder's address, opting for alternative locations that make tracking more difficult. Cross-referencing this information with the customer's history and other transaction data can reveal important inconsistencies.
Preventing fraud in e-commerce means not only blocking suspicious transactions, but also building an intelligence capable of interpreting behaviors. It's a continuous exercise of analysis, adaptation, and balance. By observing patterns, identifying changes in user behavior, and adjusting processes, stores reduce risks and create a more resilient operation, better prepared to sustain growth in an increasingly challenging environment. Since each store only has access to its own data, it becomes crucial to have an anti-fraud provider that operates with a broader database, supported by transactions from a large portion of Brazilian e-commerce.
