Refund fraud is no longer amateur - it’s organized, scalable, and for sale. What used to be one-off scams have now evolved into a professional service industry. Across social apps and fraud forums, users offer “refund as a service” for major brands, complete with fake tracking IDs, scripts to trick support agents, and social engineering tactics. Many don’t even interact with your store - they just file a refund, get paid, and disappear.
What We're Seeing:
Fake courier scans and tracking anomalies
- "Lost in transit" scams using real courier accounts
- Agent manipulation scripts shared publicly
- Label fraud, package rerouting, and fake product damage
- Insider threat - including rogue support agents and leaked credentials
- Refund fraud-as-a-service models, where attackers earn a percentage of the payout
Fraud At Scale:
- Over 4.8 million active users across refund-related fraud groups
- Growth in new refund techniques: +30% YoY
- Widespread use of automation tools and AI-generated support messages
Why Traditional Tools Fail:
Most refund fraud appears “normal.” No chargebacks. No stolen cards. No login anomalies. That’s why payment fraud tools miss it, and why RefundPulse focuses on behavior, context, and fraud community activity, not just transaction patterns.