What Is Ecommerce Fraud?

If you’re unsure of what is ecommerce fraud, read this article. Here you will learn about Casual, Phishing, and Triangulation fraud. The types of ecommerce fraud vary, but the typical patterns are the same. For example, fraudulent sellers usually target low-value transactions and won’t respond to customer contact attempts. Phishing scammers are more likely to use the same devices as common fraudsters.

Triangulation Fraud

Triangulation fraud occurs when a website steals credit card credentials from a customer. Typically, the buyer is unaware that he has been duped into purchasing a product and leaves positive feedback for the bogus seller. It’s especially devastating to small businesses because they have little or no margin for profit and are not adequately equipped to combat this kind of fraud. Moreover, the most effective fraud prevention software is often out of the budget of small businesses, so they end up being the victims of such attacks.

Triangulation fraud starts with an advertised product. This is common on popular marketplaces, but more sophisticated examples involve using fake eCommerce stores. Typically, the advertised product costs so tiny that even a legitimate seller cannot make a profit. To make money, the fraudulent seller will advertise it for a low price and then sell it for much less than what he paid. These scams are often attributed to a lack of transparency and inefficiency.

Casual Fraud

There are several different types of casual ecommerce fraud. Some involve an unsuspecting online user who accidentally purchases a product. In other cases, cybercriminals pose as a legitimate ecommerce company and collect sensitive information from the victims, such as their credit card numbers. They then use this information to make further purchases or to make chargebacks. Unfortunately, casual ecommerce fraud is difficult to detect and is an ongoing problem.

The most common types of casual ecommerce fraud occur when an ecommerce store enables card testing or fake login pages. These scammers target low-value transactions and will not respond to emails and phone calls. The same fraudsters may use the same devices as the victim. The following tips can help businesses reduce their risk of casual ecommerce fraud. When you want to prevent a potential scam, learn about the most common types of fraud like cnp fraud and how to protect yourself from them.

Phishing

While phishing is a common practice among ecommerce fraudsters, some of these schemes are highly sophisticated. Spear phishing, for example, targets a particular individual or company. The attacker uses a standard email template to possess as the marketing director or the departmental project manager. Once the recipient clicks on the link in the email, they will be directed to a phishing website or a password-protected internal document. The document contains a spoofed copy of the invoice.

The financial implications of phishing attacks are severe. The attacker may transfer funds from the company’s account or steal its intellectual property. Regulatory bodies may also impose significant fines, and restoring identity can drain tens of millions of dollars from the company’s capital. Phishing attacks can also rob a business of its market capitalization. Therefore, it is essential to secure customer data from phishing attacks.

Interception Fraud

Interception fraud is a form of ecommerce scam where an individual intercepts an online order before the package is delivered. This scammer uses stolen credit card information to purchase an item and ships it to an address different from the one listed during checkout. Usually, this fraudster calls the marketplace or courier to have the package rerouted before it is delivered. If the delivery address matches the scammer’s physical address, the individual will physically take possession of the package.

To protect against interception fraud, a merchant should regularly test their security systems, implement an information security policy, and strategically deploy layers of technology. For example, ecommerce fraud can be detected using machine learning and big data analytics, as well as using a payment card and transaction data to identify fraudulent behavior. Some examples of fraud mitigation strategies include enforcing the EMV 3-D Secure payment standard. These systems will prevent fraud by identifying fraudulent transactions and blocking automated software and bots from accessing customer data.