Payment fraud is a broad and dynamic threat, and the fraudster’s playbook is lengthy. Threats range from simple scams using stolen credit card numbers to more sophisticated schemes involving identity theft and account takeovers.
In this article, I’m going to break down the most common tactics bad actors use to exploit merchants and steal hard-earned revenue.
In this guide, we take a look at what payment fraud is, how it works, and how it impacts merchants. We’ll also share tips and best practices you can use to identify, detect, and prevent these tactics from harming your business.
How Payment Fraud Works: Common Payment Fraud Tactics
Like we alluded to already, there are dozens of individual tactics and scams that fraudsters can use to commit payment fraud. Some of the most common include:
Account Takeover Fraud
A tactic by which a fraudster impersonates a legitimate cardholder. Here, instead of using a stolen card, the criminal makes fraudulent payments using information from the cardholder’s account.
This is a form of identity theft that involves stealing personal information. However, the fraudster uses pieces of data from multiple consumers to create a fake (or synthetic) persona, which can then be used to make purchases.
A fraudster uses stolen credit card data to make a purchase, then manipulates the transaction to bypass fraud detection devices. The name refers to the fact that the transaction appears “clean,” and will not be picked up by fraud filters or blacklists.
This hinges on a perpetrator impersonating a trusted email user, either by hacking or using a fake account. The fraudster can then use the deception to facilitate a payment.
A fraudster fosters an extended line of credit. When the available credit is high enough, the fraudster maxes out the cards and walks away without paying, effectively “busting out” of the scam.
Common QuestionHow do scammers get their victims’ payment data?Hackers can obtain the data they need, including cardholder information, banking information, login credentials, etc., through a variety of channels. Phishing is a common tactic where the fraudster creates a dummy site or email designed to trick a user into handing over their information. The fraudster might also use malware to steal information from cardholders without their knowledge or purchase stolen information on the dark web.
New payment fraud tactics are developed every day.