[RickT]

Ok, I get an order for $67.00, billing and shipping to Connecticut with an Australian email address. Check the IP, which is also Australian. The bank does not provide address verification, but the CVV matches and the order is authorized. I figure this is fairly suspicious, so I cross check the phone number and it matches the physical address, but not the name. I check the website used with the email address and the same email address is listed as a contact address for this website (located in Australia). So I figure, call in a code 10 to NOVA merchant services and let them check it out. What a joke! I call to voice authorization for a code 10 (suspicious transaction). First they have to send me to customer service to retrieve the full credit card number, since we don't get it when a customer orders online. That takes about 20 minutes. Then I call back to authorization and give them all the information. They try to do a check but the automated system can't verify an address (I already knew that). They would call the bank direct, but can't, because they are not authorized to call out of the country, unless the amount is over $250.00! So basically, they do nothing except give me the Australian bank's phone number if I want to call myself. I don't know what a call to Australia would cost, but you can bet I'll be on hold a while and they probably won't help me anyway.

So, what do you think? Do the order, since I have a CVV match and authorization? Cancel the order and tell the customer we can't take an out-of-country card? Call the shipping phone number and see what they have to say (they could be together on this, if it's a scam)? This order is a single set of window shutters. Not the type of item a scammer would usually order, but they may just be testing a card. Oh yea, I checked my logs for this IP and they previously visited in January and April, looking at the same item. Makes me think it's probably OK and not a quick pick to test a card. Any opinions? I'm probably spending too much time on this.

[Janet Eccles]

Call the phone number listed and then, when you ship the order, mark it as requiring an adult signature.

[mikeanderson]

Originally Posted by RickT

Ok, I get an order for $67.00, billing and shipping to Connecticut with an Australian email address...

Cancel the order and tell the customer we can't take an out-of-country card?

Is this or isn't this an American bank with a Connecticut billing address?

[divesports]

We have this circumstance quite often....about three time per week. Many people in other countries will have goods shipped to friends and family so they can hand carry it when they visit...or, maybe they are visiting the US.

This is a difficult business decision. We do everything we can to verify the shipping address and the card. We usually ship the order, as we do a considerable foreign business and understand how this works. That being said, we occasionally get a chargeback. This is a risk you have to make based on your business model and other issues.

In the end, there is NO PROTECTION, no matter how much verification you make, no matter how much checking you do. Even a US customer can challenge a charge and you will lose the money. Oh well.

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

[RickT]

Originally Posted by mikeanderson

Is this or isn't this an American bank with a Connecticut billing address?

It's an Australian bank. He listed the Connecticut address as the billing address, but the bank does not provide an electronic address verification either way.

[RickT]

Originally Posted by Janet Eccles

Call the phone number listed and then, when you ship the order, mark it as requiring an adult signature.

I think that's a good idea. I'll let you know how the call goes.

[RickT]

Well, I made the call to the shipping address and it looks legit. The lady that answered knew the customer, but was surprised that I was calling for someone that was in Australia. However, she knew about the order when I told her who I was. As Phil suggested, they're taking the order back to Australia this summer. He just didn't use his Australian billing address to place the order, which I am requesting. The person I talked to had a definite Australian accent, so I feel pretty comfortable. I'll still request the signature for delivery, just to be safe.

[Janet Eccles]

Never be afraid to call the customer to verify the information. Ultimately, it is for their protection as much as yours. I had one order that was shipping to Oregon, billed to California and the IP was Hawaii. When I called the card holder, it turned out her daughter (who was in Hawaii at the time) manages a property for her in Oregon but the business address is California. Confused? I was . Anyways, she was glad we took the time to check the order.

[condor]

You can also ask for a copy of their most recent credit card statement. If it's legit, they should have no problem faxing a copy (they can "white out" unnecessary information). If it's not legit, you'll never hear from them!