On the fence with an order - approve/decline?

[olimits7]

Hi,

I received an order for around $400, and I'm having a tough time deciding if it's legit or fraud.

I received a successfull authorization from authorize.net, and the AVS/CVV responses were:

AVS: Street Address: No Match Zip: Matched first 5 digits (Z)
CVV: Matched

The one thing that bothers me is the "No Match" on the street address. I tried looking up this zip code on Google Maps and zip code comes up as a different city than what the customer provided.

And when I try to search by the street address and city/state I was provided it doesn't seem to find that exact location on Google Maps.

When I receive orders like this I do some research trying to find this customer online either by name/email address on facebook, linkedin, google search but I can't seem to find any concrete info on this customer.

Do you guys decline orders if AVS doesn't have a street address match, but does have a zip address match? Or vice versa (does have a street address match, but doesn't have a zip match)?

Thank you,

olimits7

[akmac]

I'd call the issuing bank and ask them to call the card holder to verify that it was them who placed the order.

It's pretty common for AVS to not match-people relocate regularly and don't always update their info immediately.


Did they ask for express shipping? Any other red flags?

[olimits7]

No, didn't get red flags relating to express/overnight shipping.

Ok, that's a good idea. How would I get the issuing bank's telephone number?

Thank you,

olimits7

[bakedjake]

How would I get the issuing bank's telephone number?

Your Merchant Account provider can give it to you. Just phone them and ask for it. Or you can use [bindatabase.net...] but it's not always complete.

Do you guys decline orders if AVS doesn't have a street address match, but does have a zip address match? Or vice versa (does have a street address match, but doesn't have a zip match)?

No. That in and of itself isn't a red flag for our customer base. Especially with address - the AVS computer is really dumb with street addresses, especially in Canada. Our fraud rate is 0 with postal code/zip code + CVV match, but address mismatch.

[derekwong28]

This is not a high risk situation with the possible exception of it being a $400 order. You can do some further research such as googling the phone no. and e-mail address.

[olimits7]

Ok, thank you!

I've never called the issuing bank before and had them call the card holder to verify if they placed the order before, but this is definitely something that can be done?

Can someone walk me through what the process of this usually is? What information do they usually ask me to provide them?

Thank you, again!

olimits7

[bakedjake]

Can someone walk me through what the process of this usually is? What information do they usually ask me to provide them?

Yes, asking the issuing bank to verify a charge is a normal thing to do, and is recommended by most merchant account providers as another way to verify a transaction as legitimate if you're not sure.

All you'll need is your merchant number, the credit card number, the date of the charge, and the amount of the charge.

Simply call them, and tell them you'd like them to phone the cardholder to confirm that they've placed and authorize the order. They'll ask for your number, and then phone you back once they've reached the cardholder.

Ask the agent for their name and ID, and note the time/date you called in your files in case there's ever an issue.

[olimits7]

Ok, great...thank you for this info!

[olimits7]

Can I use this same process to check international orders (UK) as well?

Thank you,

olimits7

[olimits7]

Also, I see that only Visa/MC credit cards can be looked up on bindatabase.net; for Amex/Discover credit cards would I just call Amex/Discover directly?

Thank you,

olimits7

[akmac]

Yes, you call Amex and Discover directly, as they act as their own issuing banks (I believe). Not sure about international orders-I require my internationals to pay via wire transfer (except Canada).

[bakedjake]

Sometimes AMEX can be issued by other banks (I believe both USAA and Citi issue them but there might be more) but their merchant support is centralized, so just call them directly.

International orders use the same process, yes.