AbeBooks Bookseller Security Information Center


For all AbeBooks ecommerce purchases, which includes all credit cards accepted through AbeBooks, we protect you from potentially fraudulent transactions.  We do ask that you join us in combatting internet fraud by reporting any suspicious orders to our Customer Support team. We've provided the following tips below for identifying suspicious orders as we know many of our booksellers operate their own websites. These tips apply to all online businesses.

AbeBooks reports all instances of fraud on our marketplace to the authorities and prosecutes to the full extent of the law.  We're a member of the Merchant Risk Council, and participate in industry-wide and law enforcement initiatives to reduce online fraud world-wide.

 

Spotting Suspicious Orders:

 

The following identifies do not indicate that an order is in fact a suspicious or fraudulent order, but are indicators that we recommend be followed by some verification. 

  • Orders from African and former Eastern Block countries.
  • Orders from free email addresses, such as hotmail, yahoo, angelfire, outgun.  We recommended googling any email addresses you don't recognize to determine if they are freemail.
  • Invalid shipping addresses (use one of the recommended tools below to verify a shipping address).
  • Mismatched name and geographic region - for example, Henry Smith / Nigeria.
  • Multiple orders of "hot ticket" items, for example: bibles and medical texts.
  • Invalid email or contact information.

 

Verifying and Validating Orders:

 

Shipping address:

  • Does the zip or postal code match the city / state provided with an address?
  • Does the city name exist?
  • Is the street address, including the address number, valid?

The following postal websites can be very helpful in confirming that this information is correct: 

If you have the phone number of a buyer, there are a number of widely available tools to verify the address. These are just a few of the tools online that can assist with this method of verification:


If You Receive a Suspicious Order:

 

Contact Customer Support, and do not accept the order. Be prepared to provide us with the following information:

  • The AbeBooks purchase order number.
  • A summary of what you feel to be suspicious about the order.
  • The steps you've taken to investigate - did you verify the address? Did you email the buyer? If so, what were the results?
  • Any relevant correspondence including faxes or emails with the buyer.

 

Protecting Yourself from Claims of Undelivered Orders:

 

There are very few buyers who would falsely claim they did not receive an item, but it can happen. This is known as "friendly fraud" in the online world, and here at AbeBooks we do watch for patterns and indicators of this. Whether friendly fraud, or an honest issue with the shipment, by providing valid tracking information, the buyer cannot initiate a return for "item did not arrive" and have it auto-complete.  They will be displayed the tracking information and advised to contact the shipper for more information.

 

Handling Expensive Orders:

 

Orders that total over $1,000 in US currency or the equivalent in the buyer's local currency (including shipping) are verified by AbeBooks before the bookseller is sent email notification of the order. This is a security measure to help protect both buyer and seller from potential fraud. 

Once the credit card verification is successfully completed, the bookseller is sent an Order Notification email and the order can be processed as normal.

If you receive an expensive order, we recommend using the buyer contact information to communicate with the buyer before shipping the order. This can often give you a feel for the transaction, and also allows you to find out if the buyer has any needs or special instructions for the purchase. We know that valid buyers of expensive items are particuarly looking for excellent service, and become repeat visitors to specific bookseller accounts.

You are protected from chargebacks for all fraudulent orders received through AbeBooks payment service. We strongly recommend using our payment channel to avoid the possibility of expensive losses.

 

Reporting Fraud to Law Enforcement:

 

AbeBooks reports all incidents of fraud to law enforcement. If you are impacted by fraud in other areas of your business, or your personal life, please view our [Buyer Security Center] for a detailed list of law enforcement agencies who handle online and international fraud.  It is very worthwhile to make the report as international law enforcement works more closely together than ever before, and relies heavily on consumer and merchant information to investigate cases and make arrests.

 

Return to Seller Help Topics