Fraud Review Process
Every order which passes through Bolt Checkout undergoes Bolt’s Fraud Review process; there are three major steps in the Fraud Review process: the shopper pays, the order is checked by our fraud engine, and then the order is analyzed by Bolt’s Fraud Team.
Fraud Review Steps
1. Shopper Pays
Bolt sends the charge to the card’s issuing bank for authorization.
- If authorization succeeds: the customer is sent to the order confirmation page and receives an order confirmation email. The order will appear in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard with a status of
In Review. - If the authorization fails: the customer is notified in checkout that their payment authorization did not succeed. The order appears in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard with a status of
Failed.
Checkout totals that reach zero ($0.00) when a discount code or gift card is applied bypass Bolt’s fraud review analysis and are automatically approved.
2. Order is Processed by Fraud Engine
The order is processed (post-authorization) by Bolt’s automated fraud review engine. Most orders are automatically approved.
- If approved: the status in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard changes to
Authorizedfor delayed capture orCompletedfor immediate capture. - If flagged: the order is sent to our risk team for manual review.
Fraud Scoring
Bolt’s Fraud Scoring uses a combination of behavioral and data signals to determine an overall numeric store between 0-1000 for each order. Use the following table to understand the probability of fraud loss for a given rejected order:
| Risk Level | Color | Score Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Green | 0-660 | <10% estimated fraud loss |
| Medium | Yellow | 660-920 | 10-20% estimated fraud loss |
| High | Orange | 920-980 | 20-30% estimated fraud loss |
| Very High | Red | 980-1000 | 30%+ estimated fraud loss. Bolt does not permit authorization override on orders with very high risk. |
Key Fraud Signals
Use the following table to contextualize the fraud score with more insight into the shopper’s unique fraud risk. Each rejected order lists the top 3 reasons for rejection within the Transaction Details modal.
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Shopping Cart Contents | Items in cart are more subject to fraudulent activity. |
| Shipping Option | Shipping details imply possible fraudulent activity. |
| Payment Information | Credit card usage is suspicious. |
| Address | Address is unverified or associated with fraudulent activity. |
| IP | IP address is masked. |
| Phone Number | Contact details are associated with fraudulent activity. |
| Email is unrecognized or associated with fraudulent activity. | |
| User History | User identity is associated with fraudulent activity in the Bolt network. |
| Device | Device or browser specifications are suspicious. |
| User Behavior | Shopper’s interaction with the checkout is suspicious. |
| Blocklist | Shopper is listed on the merchant’s internal Blocklist. |
| Confirmed Past Fraudulent Orders | Bolt has confirmation of past fraudulent activity; this reason adds the shopper to the Blocklist. |
| Confirmed Lost/Stolen Card | Bolt has confirmation of card reported as lost/stolen; this reason adds the shopper to the Blocklist. |
| Fraudulent Card Testing Behavior Detected | Shopper performed suspiciously high payment attempt velocity; this reason adds the shopper to the Blocklist. |
3. Risk Team Manually Reviews
During the manual review, the risk team can make one of the following three decisions:
- Approve: the status in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard changes to
Authorizedfor delayed capture, orCompletedfor immediate capture. - Reject: the status in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard changes to
Recently Rejectedand is updated toIrreversibly Rejectedwhen the Rejection Override Window expires. - Micro-authorize: the status in the Bolt Merchant Dashboard changes to
Recently Rejected. However, if the micro-authorization succeeds, the status is reversed and displays as an approved order.
Review Turnaround Time
The speed of order review and approval is dependent upon whether you use Bolt’s premium fraud indemnification service. Over 97% of orders are approved automatically by our fraud decision engine. All other orders are reviewed within 1 business hour (Mon-Fri, 9am-8pm EST). You should not fulfill orders before they are approved.
For merchants who do not use Bolt’s fraud indemnification service, all orders are approved instantly.
Merchant Actions
As a merchant, you can take the following actions on a rejected order: confirm rejection, submit for re-review, or force approve the order.
Bolt recommends setting your Rejection Override Window to a minimum of at least 48 hours; the default is set to 96 hours. You can update the Rejection Override Window from Settings > Checkout.
About Shopper Inquiries on Rejected Orders
If submitting the order for re-review, use the following guidelines:
| Fraud Score | Description | Follow-up Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Red/Yellow | Bolt strongly believes the order is a fraud risk. | Confirm the rejected order status or recommend to the customer they attempt to checkout via PayPal. |
| Yellow/Green | Bolt believes there’s a medium-low risk the order is fraudulent. | Confirm the rejected order status or submit a re-review request after gathering supplementary documentation. |