Getting started with Stripe: fraud and disputes

If you’re a business that uses Stripe through a partner platform, extension, or a plug-in, this video guide will demonstrate how to protect your business from fraud and disputes and how best to respond to disputes if they occur.

Explore other guides in the series

  1. Getting started with Stripe: plan your Stripe account

  2. Getting started with Stripe: create or connect an account

  3. Getting started with Stripe: explore Stripe

  4. Getting started with Stripe: payments and payouts

  5. Getting started with Stripe: financial reports

  6. Getting started with Stripe: fraud and disputes


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An introduction to Fraud and Disputes

If you accept credit cards on your site or store, you'll most likely have to handle chargebacks or inquiries. When a customer has an issue with a credit card charge, they can dispute it with their bank. The bank will initiate a dispute with either an inquiry or a chargeback. Learn what these terms mean, how they differ, and how banks and other payment systems initiate disputes.

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Chargeback and Inquiry Lifecycle

Disputes work differently across card and payment networks, but typically follow similar patterns. The dispute process involves multiple parties and many steps. This video walks you through each process and how and when you should submit evidence.

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Customer Communication

Many inquiries and chargebacks are the result of the cardholder not recognizing the transaction or recognizing your business. This video outlines customer communication best practices and refund policy best practices.

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Early Fraud Warnings

Early fraud warnings are notices generated to flag payments that are suspected to be fraudulent. An early fraud warning is created when a cardholder lodges a claim of fraud with their issuing bank and occurs before an official chargeback. This video shows you how to review early fraud warning in the Stripe Dashboard and respond effectively.

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Card Monitoring Programs

As part of your financial obligations to the card networks, you must ensure that disputes and fraud are kept at acceptable levels. If these exceed the thresholds dictated by each network (e.g., Visa or Mastercard), you’re placed into one of their monitoring programs. As part of a program, you can incur monthly fines and additional fees until you reduce your dispute or fraud levels.

This video steps you how card monitoring programs works and how Stripe can help you manage the process if your business is flagged in a monitoring program.

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Radar for Fraud Prevention

Stripe Radar is a suite of modern tools to help you fight fraud. It’s fully integrated into your payments flow and you can start using it without any additional development time or cost. This video outlines Stripe Radar's features and benefits and how risk levels are communicated to you.

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Radar for Fraud Teams

Stripe's advanced fraud tool, Radar for fraud teams is an add-on suite of tools for fraud professionals or any business experiencing high levels of risk. This video demonstrates how to use Radar for Fraud Teams in the Stripe Dashboard.

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Disputes in the Stripe Dashboard

Learn how to locate and respond to disputes in the Stripe Dashboard.


Dispute Types

Disputes fall into eight categories. There are different recommendations for how to respond to each category and what evidence you should provide based on the dispute reason. This video also introduces evidence labeled as "compelling evidence" and how to submit compelling evidence.

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Dispute Best Practices

When a customer opens a dispute with their bank (the issuing bank), the bank will notify Stripe and Stripe will notify you. As the merchant, you must prove certain evidence. This video gives you best practices for evidence submission.

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Dispute Testing

Learn how to test a dispute handling flow by creating a "test mode" dispute and responding to it in the Stripe Dashboard.

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Explore other guides in the series

  1. Getting started with Stripe: plan your Stripe account

  2. Getting started with Stripe: create or connect an account

  3. Getting started with Stripe: explore Stripe

  4. Getting started with Stripe: payments and payouts

  5. Getting started with Stripe: financial reports

  6. Getting started with Stripe: fraud and disputes