Great insight from our friend Brian D. over at The House of Fraud. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Brian! #HouseOfFraud #DodgeballOrchestration #FFC #FraudAwareness #FinancialFraudConsortium
Head of Fraud @ Dodgeball Orchestration | Author of Bad Fraud Advice | Tortilla Chip Addict
When it comes to card testing, you need to consider this: Card testing often precedes larger fraud attacks How It Works: ? Small $1-5 transactions across merchants ? High-velocity attempts, short time windows ? Targets digital goods/services for instant delivery ? Often automated via scripts/bots Key Warning Signs: 1. Spike in authorization attempts 2. Increase in small transaction values 3. Multiple declines from same IP 4. Unusual traffic outside business hours Modern Prevention Tactics: - Device fingerprinting for bots - Velocity checks across card/IP - ML models for testing patterns - Strategic decline codes - Network-level patterns Catch it early Once card's validated, larger fraud charges follow. This is one piece of the fraud surface area analysis I use when building new fraud prevention programs. Understanding attack patterns helps prioritize controls.