Fraud can occur right under our noses, but if we’re aware of the common red flags, we may be able to catch fraudulent transactions before any harm occurs. Here are a few tips to help you detect fraud, and what to do if you are suspicious during a transaction:

Checking Addresses

Do the shipping address and the billing address not match? Are the shipping address, billing address, or IP address unusually far from each other geographically? Is the order from another country, or are the items being shipped out of the country?

It’s easy to do a quick search of the shipping address on google maps; in doing this you can check to make sure items aren’t being shipped to a UPS store or freight forwarder. If the shipping and billing address differ, you can use 411.com to search alternate phone numbers for the cardholder based on their name and address. You can quickly run a reverse IP address search online to verify that the customer resides in the city and state they claim to be in.

Suspicious Ordering and Payment Activity

Order Red Flags: Have there been several small transactions made within a short amount of time with the same or similar card numbers? Is the order for an unusually large number of items, particularly of the same item? Was a large quantity of orders placed within a small timeframe? Is the customer overly concerned about the shipping process or trying to rush the shipment of items?

Payment Red Flags: Does the customer offer different expiration dates after initial card decline? Does the customer claim a hearing impairment or that they are ordering for somebody hearing impaired? Did you receive an “Authorization Declined” message after running multiple cards for the customer? Is the customer using a foreign bank?

If you suspect credit card fraud, you can use binbase.com to identify the bank associated with the card, then call the identified bank to verify the card name and address.

Checking Identification

Does the person you see match the person in the photo? Do the names on the cards match?

Do the signatures match within reason? Is there any significant damage to the card’s hologram or security features? Have the cards embossed numbers been removed?

Damage to the security features of a customer’s card may raise suspicion. If you have any doubt about a customer’s card, call 1-866-401-4852, select option 0, ask for a code 10 authorization.

Other Tips

Using Contact Information: If you detect potential fraud and have a customer’s phone number or email, a google search in quotation marks (e.g., “777-777-7777”) will retrieve only exact results for the search. You can also call the phone number provided to ask about the order, this number may belong to the actual cardholder or be a disconnected number.

Detecting Fraud at the Counter: It’s important to be knowledgeable about the signs of credit card fraud in a retail transaction. Is the customer rushing the transaction? Has the customer returned for multiple transactions in one day? Did the customer pull the credit card from their pocket? Did the customer request the card number be entered manually? Was the customer slow when signing their signature or hesitant when providing identifying information?

Always report any unusual behavior to the help desk, and when in doubt, trust your gut! If you have any suspicions, always request additional information from the customer, or call to verify the purchase. it’s imperfect by nature.