As businesses have relied heavily on the internet for many years now, it’s always great to have a refresher on the dangers of e-commerce fraud.  With such a large quantity of sensitive information online, now more than ever it is imperative to stay vigilant to protect your company.

What is e-commerce fraud?

E-commerce fraud is “the use of stolen payment information, compromised accounts, or deceptive tactics to make unauthorized purchases or exploit online store policies.” This type of fraud has become a growing problem in the last 10 years as mobile transactions are at an all-time high. In 2025, a report done by LexisNexis showed that in the US merchants absorbed an average cost of $4.61 for every $1 of fraud, while Canadian businesses incurred $4.52.  Unfortunately, a substantial number of North American businesses do not have the fraud prevention systems put in place required to protect their enterprise, and many still rely on outdated methods which are not successful.

How will it affect my business?

The main concern most people associate fraud with is the obvious financial loss, which is completely valid, considering in 2023 e-commerce fraud was responsible for at least $48 billion in losses for businesses globally. Not only that, but it can put a strain on your current operations, forcing you to completely rethink your business plan. E-commerce fraud also affects customer to business relationships and company reputation. No matter what type of fraud was committed, your business’ ability to protect customer information will come into question.

Types of e-commerce fraud.

Cybercriminals have taken advantage of the last few years to become experts at fraud, so much so that there are now multiple types of e-commerce fraud. Here are some of the most common types happening today:

1. Payment fraud: fake or unlawful transactions including phishing scams, malicious links, and misleading phone calls.
2. Card-not-present (CNP) fraud: scams involving transactions when the credit card is not physically presented, often occurring via over the phone, online, or other forms of virtual payment.
3. Card testing fraud: when scammers ‘test” the credit card information of a stolen card, typically by making small purchases before moving on to make bigger ones.
4. Gift card fraud: this type of fraud refers to any illegitimate activity involving the theft, manipulation, or unauthorized use of gift cards for financial gain.
5. Account takeover (ATO) fraud: occurs when a scammer unlawfully acquires access to a legitimate customer’s account for any online store and makes any unauthorized purchases or transfers points to another account.
6. Triangulation fraud: this involves 3 steps to complete the fraud, the first is to create an illegitimate online store that sells well known brands at cheaper prices, luring customers to make a purchase where the scammer will steal their information. The second step is to use this stolen information to purchase the real item from the actual merchant which is then shipped to the customer, so they remain unsuspecting. The final step is using the stolen card information to make purchases.
7. Chargeback fraud: refers to when a legitimate customer succumbs to a fraudulent attack and files to receive the stolen money back. The issuer legally has no choice but to refund the money back. It could also refer to when an acquaintance of the card holder makes an unauthorized purchase with their card, when buyers forget they made a purchase, have buyer’s remorse, or intentionally using the chargeback process for financial gain.
8. Refund of return fraud: this type of fraud is when seemingly legitimate customers take advantage of the refund policy by claiming they did not receive an item, saying the item was not as described, or returning items after using them.
9. M-commerce fraud: typically classified as a subcategory of e-commerce, m-commerce fraud refers to fraud occurring from a mobile device; therefore the connections are rarely made through the same network. This additional exposure creates opportunities for scammers.

Tips on how you can protect your business.

First and foremost, educate yourself and your staff on the warning signs of e-commerce fraud, so that you can be prepared if it does occur. Additionally, stay informed on the local and global fraud trends and secure fraud risk and prevention technology for your business. Let’s take a look at some other tips you can use to combat ecommerce fraud:

1. Secure payment gateways and encryption: this payment method shifts the transactions to a more secure app, bank, or processor using encryption, bank verification, and approval.
2. Card verification value (CVV) and address verification system (AVS): this is system is designed to alert to any potential sign of fraud by monitoring the CVV number on the back of your card.
3. Strong customer authentication (SCA): this security measure originated in the UK and requires consumers to submit a 2-factor verification on all payments.
4. Chargeback monitoring and dispute automation:  this entails investigating into chargebacks suspected to be fraudulent to prove that they are in fact unwarranted as chargeback fraud accounts for almost half of all chargebacks.
5. Machine learning fraud prevention solutions: you can be proactive in your fight against e-commerce fraud by using automatic machine learning features such as chargeback guarantee, rules-based solutions, scoring engines, and manual review.
6. Making sure all software and systems are up to date: because e-commerce fraud is a relatively new issue to the business world, it is imperative that you keep all systems within your business up to date with the latest software as the newest updates will more likely include fraud detection/prevention applications.
7. Having internal fraud training for employees: as previously mentioned, being informed on the signs and prevention of fraud is one of the first steps in combatting it. Enlisting training for yourself and your employees will keep your business equipped if anything happens.
8. Network with other businesses and organizations within your industry: by connecting with peers within your business industry, you can secure and exchange experiences and tips on fraud within your profession.

Let’s put it into perspective.

Less than 5% of retail sales were online in 2010. Experts now estimate that global online sales will reach $8 trillion by 2027. Even though by some standards e-commerce sales is a fairly new concept, that has not slowed down the scammers and their techniques. AI has significantly revamped the landscape of e-commerce fraud, changing both how it is carried out and how frequently it occurs. This means taking businesses are constantly having to update and often reframe how they tackle fraud prevention. As frustrating and taxing as this can be, being prepared and staying alert will protect your business and keep your bottom-line firm.