Shopify Store Set Up

How to Reduce Fraud on Shopify

Last modified: December 23, 2025

Fraud is one of the biggest issues you’re going to face when you’re selling on Shopify. There are many ways that fraud can appear on your Shopify store. For one, you could get fake orders where you think money has been paid, or a customer has made an order, and you dispatch the order to them. Then you find out the payment has failed, and the customer doesn’t exist.

Or you could face the problem that there is a criminal who uses the details of a legitimate person to make an order and then intercepts the goods to make off with them.

These kinds of scams and fraud can be really hard. It will cost you emotionally, financially and may even result in your business failing.

There are plenty of ways in which you can prevent your store from being a victim, however. Here are some options on how you can reduce fraud on your Shopify store.

Key Takeaways

Utilize Shopify’s built-in tools like Fraud Analysis and Shopify Protect for effective fraud prevention.

Understand and identify different types of ecommerce fraud to implement targeted security measures.

Enhance fraud detection with advanced tools and manual verification for high-risk orders.

1. Read the Fraud Analysis

The first option is free and provided by Shopify. This is the fraud report. This is a report done on all transactions that are made on Shopify to help you identify risky transactions. Then you can wait to ensure that the payment is made or verify the order from your customer. There are some apps that can help you analyze the fraud report with more accuracy to make it easier to find possible bad orders.

2. Fraud Apps

Some apps can help you detect and protect yourself from fraud. These apps are easy to use and can use many different indicators about the purchase to determine what the problem might be. These apps can also take different action. They can cancel any orders that look fraudulent or they can highlight orders that look problematic.

Fraud apps also run in different ways with some of them having orders manually checked by operators and others using automation to check orders. Therefore, it is up to your preference for how you protect your store.

3. Address Verification

Another option is to have address verification of buyers. Address verification is not foolproof, but it can protect your website from fraud from simple scams.

4. Order Verification

Another option is to have order verification options. These are when the customer might receive a text or email that requests their confirmation of the order. If they don’t enter the right code or submit their acknowledgment within a set period of time the order is held until they do or it’s canceled. There are lots of order verification apps that you can use to help you protect your store from fraud.

Recommended: 7 Best Shopify Fraud Protection Apps - 2026

#	Name	Image
1		Shipping Address Validator
2		Beacon ‑ Fraud Inspector
3		NoFraud Fraud Protection
4		FraudBlock Fraud Prevention
5		ClearSale
6		Signifyd ‑ Fraud Protection
7		FraudLabs Pro Fraud Prevention
Show More

FAQs

How can I use Shopify’s fraud analysis tool effectively?

Regularly review the fraud analysis reports provided by Shopify, focusing on orders flagged as medium or high risk. Investigate these orders further by verifying customer information and order details.
Should I cancel all high-risk orders identified by Shopify?

Not necessarily. Investigate high-risk orders further by contacting the customer and verifying order details before deciding to cancel, as some may be legitimate.
What steps should I take if I detect a fraudulent transaction on my Shopify store?

Immediately flag and investigate the transaction. Contact the customer for verification, and if confirmed as fraud, refund the transaction and report it to the relevant authorities or payment processors.

Strategies for Reducing Fraud on Shopify

Understanding Ecommerce Fraud

Ecommerce fraud, a growing concern for online retailers, involves unauthorized transactions and misuse of customer data.

With global ecommerce sales increasing, the risk of fraud escalates, necessitating robust prevention strategies.

Types of Ecommerce Fraud

Fraud in ecommerce takes various forms, including friendly fraud, card testing, refund abuse, online payment fraud, account takeover, and triangulation fraud.

Understanding these types helps in implementing targeted prevention measures.

Preventing Fraud on Shopify

Shopify offers tools like Fraud Analysis and Shopify Protect, aiding in fraud detection and prevention. Employing these tools effectively can safeguard your business against potential financial losses due to fraudulent activities.

Managing Techniques for Shopify Fraud Detection

Identifying High-Risk Orders

Detecting high-risk orders involves scrutinizing billing and shipping address discrepancies, changes in shipping address post-order, and unusual order patterns from new customers. These indicators help in early fraud detection.

Manual Verification and Order Limits

Implementing manual verification for suspicious orders and setting order limits can significantly reduce the risk of fraud.

Personal interaction with customers and limiting purchase quantities act as effective deterrents against fraudulent activities.

Utilizing Fraud Detection Tools

Leveraging advanced fraud detection tools and services enhances your store’s security.

Those tools use machine learning algorithms and provide comprehensive insights into transactions, helping in making informed decisions about high-risk orders.

Conclusion: How to Reduce Fraud on Shopify

It is easy to reduce fraud on your Shopify store. By using one or two of the options above, you can prevent yourself from being a victim of fraud on Shopify. This will protect your profits and business and allow you to sell with confidence by implementing various security measures.

Adding CAPTCHA can help protect your store from spam and automated bot attacks. Enabling two-step verification adds an extra layer of security by requiring an additional authentication factor, preventing unauthorized access even if your password is compromised.

To prevent hacking attempts and protect your store from hackers, it’s crucial to keep your Shopify platform, apps, and themes up-to-date with the latest security patches. Additionally, strong password policies and limiting administrative access to trusted individuals can further enhance your store’s security.

In the unfortunate event of a successful hack, having a robust backup and recovery plan in place can help you recover from the hack swiftly, minimizing downtime and data loss.

By implementing these Shopify security and safety measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of fraud on your online store. With a secure and protected platform, you can sell with confidence, safeguarding your profits and maintaining the trust of your customers.

Written by:

Lindsey Perry

I have 5+ years of experience with Shopify and 15+ years of experiences on other eCommerce platforms. My theme reviews are designed to help store owners find the best theme for them.