Crime follows new opportunities opened up by new lifestyles

Here’s how many consumers committed friendly fraud. Source: pexels.com

According to Signifyd research, nearly 36% of UK consumers committed friendly fraud by reporting they didn’t receive an e-commerce package. What is more, they reported that a satisfactory order was unsatisfactory in order to receive a refund and keep the ordered product.

A separate UK study found that 32.1% of respondents admitted to breaking discount or promotions rules in order to receive a discount they were not eligible for.

A considerable number of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic also said they were playing the e-commerce system, demanding refunds for a legitimate claim on their credit card, which they falsely claimed was fraudulent.

In the US, 40.3% of consumers said they were asking for a refund because of a fraudulent payment, when in fact they knew the fraud was not committed. Meanwhile, in the UK this figure was 36.1%.

The reason for the surge in consumer abuse is not entirely clear from the survey results. But the COVID-19 pandemic has created a complex picture of criminal activity in general: crime follows new opportunities opened up by new lifestyles.

In the case of friendly fraud, residents of the US and UK are experiencing an unprecedented health crisis. Unemployment is higher than it has been for generations, and it is likely that many are simply exhausted month after month of monotony and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Data shows that the number of friendly fraud chargebacks filed for “item not received” has boosted since the pandemic was announced in March. In September, they grew by 54% compared to January of this year.

We’ve reported that Over 60% of employees want COVID-19 vaccination to be mandatory.

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