The notice says "unrecognised". Not "fraud", not "not received", just that the cardholder looked at their statement and did not know what your charge was. It might be the gift their partner bought for them. It might be a billing name that does not look like your shop. It might be a card thief. It might be someone who simply wants their money back. An unrecognised charge dispute is four different problems wearing one label, and your response depends on which one you have.
An unrecognised charge dispute is a Shopify chargeback where the cardholder says they do not recognise the transaction. To respond, you prove the order was real and that the buyer, or someone with their card, placed it: fulfilment date and time, billing information, IP address and country, and shipping and tracking records, with each piece labelled and a short cover note.
This guide is for you if:
- You sell on Shopify in Australia and have received, or want to be ready for, an "unrecognised" dispute.
- You are not sure how to tell an honest "I don't know what this is" from fraud or friendly fraud.
- You want a response routine and cover note you can reuse, with the right evidence for each kind of case.
Last updated: 19 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 19 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
The 30-second answer (TL;DR)
- For an unrecognised charge dispute, Shopify lists the evidence it wants: fulfilment date and time, billing information, IP address and country, and shipping and tracking details.
- On Shopify Payments in Australia the fee is A$25, returned if you win. You usually have 7 to 21 days to respond and the card company can take up to 75 days to decide.
- Sort the case first: confusion, gift or shared card, fraud, or friendly fraud. Each needs different evidence.
- For Visa 10.4 you may also be able to use Compelling Evidence 3.0, which relies on at least two prior undisputed transactions with matching data.
- Prevention is cheaper than winning: a recognisable billing descriptor, receipts at payment and a fast reply to the customer.
Do this today (10 minutes):
- Check what your customers see on their card statement for your store, and ask a friend to read it cold.
- Open your last unrecognised or fraud dispute and note which of the four causes it was.
- Check you can find, for any order, the IP address and country, the billing details and the fulfilment time within two minutes.
If you cannot find those three things quickly, build the habit before the next notice.
From dispute to decision
| Stage | What happens | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | The cardholder sees a charge they do not recognise | Make sure your descriptor is recognisable |
| Dispute | The bank raises an unrecognised or fraud reason | Read the code and the due date |
| Triage | You sort the case: confusion, gift, fraud, friendly fraud | Use the five questions below |
| Response | You send the evidence and a cover note | Label every piece |
| Decision | The card company decides | Keep the file until it closes |
What is an unrecognised charge dispute?
An unrecognised charge dispute is a dispute where the cardholder tells their bank they do not recognise a transaction on their statement. Shopify lists "unrecognized" as one of its reasons for a chargeback, alongside "fraudulent", "duplicate", "subscription canceled", "product not received", "product unacceptable", "credit not processed" and "general".
In an unrecognised charge dispute, the reason is a claim, not a finding. "Unrecognised" says what the cardholder believes, not why. So the first job is to work out what actually happened. In practice there are four common explanations:
- Confusion. The charge was real and the buyer made it, but the name on the statement did not match the shop they remember.
- Gift order or shared card. Someone else placed the order, or the card holder is not the person who ordered, so the card holder does not recognise it.
- Fraud. A thief used a stolen card.
- Friendly fraud. The buyer knows the order but disputes it anyway, perhaps after regret or a delivery issue.
A trade guide I used makes the same point about delivery disputes, and it holds for an unrecognised charge dispute too: do not treat every complaint as friendly fraud. That applies here too. A fair triage that tests confusion and gift before landing on fraud makes you better at both winning and keeping honest customers.
Stripe's category list also includes "unrecognized" as a separate reason from "fraudulent". I could not verify how each bank decides which to use, so treat the label as a hint and read your own notice.
What does Shopify ask you to send for an unrecognised charge dispute?
Shopify's help centre lists four things for fraudulent and unrecognised disputes, so an unrecognised charge dispute starts with: the fulfilment date and time, billing information, the IP address and country, and shipping and tracking details. That is your core file. Everything else supports it.
| Evidence | What it shows | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfilment date and time | The order was shipped, and when | Shopify order timeline |
| Billing information | Who the card belongs to, and the billing address | Order details |
| IP address and country | Where the buyer was when they ordered | Order details, fraud analysis |
| Shipping and tracking | The goods went to a real address and arrived | Fulfilment and carrier records |
Shopify also ranks evidence in four tiers: direct evidence such as signed delivery and refund records, customer acknowledgment, policy documents and context such as order records and verification results. It says to label each piece and to send screenshots of tracking and communications, not links. Follow both.
Stripe adds that AVS and CVC results, signed receipts and an IP address matching the billing address are standard compelling evidence. I could not verify how Shopify Payments displays AVS and CVC results to Australian merchants, so check the payment details on the order.
Three facts shape the timing. Shopify's response window is usually 7 to 21 days. The card company's review can take up to 75 days after you submit. And Shopify Payments submits a response on the due date even if you have added nothing, so whatever is on file goes.
How do you sort an unrecognised charge dispute in ten minutes?
Ask five questions in order. The answers point to the cause and tell you which evidence to build.
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Does the billing name match the name on the order and the customer account? | Go to question 2 | Look at gift or shared card, or fraud |
| 2. Does the delivery address match the billing address, or a known past address? | Go to question 3 | Gift, or fraud if new and high-value |
| 3. Has this customer ordered before without dispute? | Strong sign of confusion or friendly fraud | New customer, so look at the signals |
| 4. Do the IP country, device and email fit the customer? | Consistent | Mismatch is a fraud signal, not proof |
| 5. Did the customer message you or acknowledge the order? | Your best exhibit | No contact |
From the answers you can usually place the unrecognised charge dispute:
- Everything matches, repeat customer: confusion or friendly fraud. Fight with the history.
- Billing and delivery differ, gift note present: gift. Fight with the gift trail.
- New customer, mismatched IP, high value, delivered to a new address: fraud risk. Weigh fighting carefully.
- No signals either way: treat as confusion and build the strongest file you can.
Write the unrecognised charge dispute diagnosis in one line in your dispute log, for example: "Repeat customer, three clean orders, IP in Sydney, delivered to billing address, descriptor mismatch." That line becomes the opening of your cover note.
Why does an unrecognised charge dispute happen to honest customers?
Most honest cases of an unrecognised charge dispute come from the billing descriptor, which is the name that appears on the card statement. If it says something other than the shop name the buyer remembers, they may genuinely not know what it is.
Shopify's guidance on preventing chargebacks starts with a recognisable billing descriptor set in the admin. The same page also lists receipts at payment, easy contact information and a clear return policy. These all reduce unrecognised charge dispute risk, because they make the order easy to remember and easy to ask about.
| Cause of "I don't recognise this" | How it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Descriptor differs from the shop name | The statement shows a legal or processor name | Set a recognisable descriptor, check it reads like your brand |
| Time gap | The charge appears days after the order, or on a subscription renewal | Send a receipt at payment and a shipping email |
| Gift | The buyer is not the recipient, or the card holder is a family member | Include a gift note and receipt; keep the buyer's details |
| Shared household card | Another person used the card | Keep the delivery address history |
| Cold traffic | The buyer has no relationship with your brand | Send a welcome email that names the shop |
ChargeFix has a separate guide on clear billing descriptors, linked below. It goes deeper on what to check and how to ask your processor.
A note on gifts, from a vendor source I used: recipients do not recognise the descriptor, shared cards are common, disputes often arrive 30 to 60 days later, and the evidence that helps is receipts, order numbers, tracking scans showing who accepted the parcel and refund logs. Treat the timing as one vendor's observation, not a rule.
What evidence works for each kind of unrecognised charge dispute?
Match the evidence to the cause of the unrecognised charge dispute. A response that proves the wrong thing, such as delivery for a fraud claim, will not move a reviewer.
| Cause | Evidence to lead with | Supporting evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Confusion about the descriptor | Order confirmation email sent to the cardholder, descriptor shown, delivery to billing address | Account history, past clean orders, customer messages |
| Gift order or shared card | Gift note, order receipt, tracking scan showing who accepted | Buyer's details, refund log, messages from the recipient |
| Household or family member | Delivery to the billing address, prior orders to the same address | IP history, device history |
| Friendly fraud | The customer's own messages, use of the product, prior clean orders | Delivery proof, policy, account activity |
| Genuine fraud | Often accept. Fight only with strong signals and CE 3.0 or authentication | Billing, IP, delivery, device data |
Pay Advantage notes that the cardholder name should match the invoice name, which is one reason billing information sits at the top of Shopify's list. If the names differ, explain why in your cover note, for example a gift to a partner.
Keep the proof in an unrecognised charge dispute factual. A trade source I read makes a point worth remembering: connect each piece of evidence to the specific disputed fact, link each record to the disputed payment and say what its limits are. A matching device does not prove who used it, and a gift can have different billing and shipping addresses without being suspicious. Say what the record shows and what it does not.
How do billing details and AVS help in an unrecognised charge dispute?
They show that the person who paid is plausibly the person who ordered. Billing name and address are the most basic link between the card and the order. Where the delivery address matches the billing address, the story is simple. Where it does not, you need an explanation.
| Signal | What it suggests | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Billing name matches the customer account | Consistent identity | A thief can use a real name |
| Delivery address matches billing | Simple story | Common for honest and dishonest orders |
| Delivery differs, gift note present | Gift | Make sure the note is real and saved |
| AVS and CVC pass | The card details were supplied correctly | Not proof of identity |
| New address, high value, rush shipping | Fraud signals | Signals, not proof |
Stripe lists AVS, CVC, signed receipts and an IP address matching the billing address as standard compelling evidence. Shopify's preventing-chargebacks page mentions shipping only AVS-passing orders as an option, though it names shipments to the US, UK and Canada only, so I would not treat it as an Australian rule. I could not verify whether Shopify Payments exposes AVS results to Australian merchants in the same way.
Whatever you have for the unrecognised charge dispute, put it in front of the reviewer in one clear exhibit: billing name, billing address, delivery address, and a note saying whether they match.
What does the IP in an unrecognised charge dispute tell you, and what does it not?
In an unrecognised charge dispute, the IP tells you roughly where the order was placed from, and a match to the billing country supports your story. It does not prove who was at the keyboard. Shopify's list includes the IP address and country, so include them, but do not oversell them.
| IP result | Reading |
|---|---|
| Same country and region as the billing address | Consistent, a supporting fact |
| Same IP as earlier undisputed orders | Useful for Compelling Evidence 3.0 |
| Different country from billing | A signal to check, not a verdict |
| VPN or proxy possible | Treat the IP as weak either way |
Two cautions. First, a customer on mobile data or a shared network can show an unexpected location, so a mismatch alone is not fraud. Second, a match alone is not a win. The reviewer wants the whole picture: billing, delivery, IP, history and any contact.
ChargeFix has a separate guide on IP address and device data as dispute evidence, linked below.
How does Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0 work for an unrecognised charge dispute?
Compelling Evidence 3.0, or CE 3.0, is a Visa process for defending a reason 10.4 fraud dispute by showing the customer has bought from you before without dispute. It does not apply to every unrecognised charge dispute, only to those that arrive under that reason code.
From the notes I used, the criteria are:
| Criterion | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reason code | Visa 10.4 (other fraud, card absent) |
| Prior transactions | At least two undisputed, from the same customer |
| Time window | Between 120 and 364 days before the dispute (Stripe's wording) or 120 to 365 days (Visa's) |
| Matching data | Elements such as IP or device ID, plus a shipping address or account ID |
| History | A clean record on those earlier transactions |
| Descriptor | The first six characters of the descriptor match across them |
Stripe says it autofills the details where it can. Mastercard has a comparable programme, but I could not find its criteria. A trade source also notes that since 17 October 2025 Visa automatically qualifies some transactions authenticated through Visa Secure, and that the public Visa merchant-readiness document I found is dated March 2023. I could not verify how Shopify Payments applies CE 3.0 in Australia.
What this means for an unrecognised charge dispute:
- Repeat customers are your best case. A customer with two or more clean orders in the window, to the same address, from the same device or IP, is the profile CE 3.0 is built for.
- First-time customers cannot use it. There is no history to show.
- It only fits 10.4. For other reasons, build the evidence in the table above.
- The descriptor matters. If your descriptor changed between orders, the match may fail.
Does 3D Secure help with an unrecognised charge dispute in Australia?
It can, for fraud disputes, when the customer fully authenticates. The 3D Secure liability shift moves responsibility for authenticated fraud disputes, such as Visa 10.4 and Mastercard 4837, to the card issuer. It does not cover non-fraud reasons.
Pay Advantage advises using 3D Secure for higher-risk orders. A trade article adds that the shift needs full authentication, Visa ECI 05 or Mastercard ECI 02 with a valid cryptogram, and that exemptions and Data Only payments do not shift liability. Attempted authentication is contested, so treat it as unprotected until your acquirer confirms in writing.
I could not verify how Shopify Payments applies 3D Secure to Australian orders, whether merchants can influence it, or what the ECI results look like in the order details. Ask Shopify or your acquirer in writing, and do not state an authentication result in a response unless you have seen it. ChargeFix has a UK guide on the liability shift, linked below, which covers the mechanics in more detail.
What do the cover notes look like for an unrecognised charge dispute?
Lead with the diagnosis and the strongest evidence, label each exhibit and say what the evidence does not show. Here are three versions.
Confusion about the descriptor (repeat customer):
Re: Order #[number], A$[amount], reason: unrecognised
Summary: The cardholder placed this order on [date] and has ordered from
us [n] times before without dispute. The charge appears on statements as
"[descriptor]".
Exhibit 1: Order record, billing name and address matching the cardholder.
Exhibit 2: Order confirmation email sent to [email] on [date].
Exhibit 3: Prior orders [dates], undisputed, same address.
Exhibit 4: IP and country at checkout ([country]), matching prior
orders.
Exhibit 5: Delivery record: dispatched [date], delivered [date] to
[address line].
What this shows: the order was placed by the account holder, from the same
location, and delivered to the usual address.
What this does not show: why the statement name was not recognised.
Gift order or shared card:
Re: Order #[number], A$[amount], reason: unrecognised
Summary: This order was a gift. The buyer is [name], the recipient is
[name] at [address]. The cardholder may not recognise the charge because
[the order was placed by someone else on their card / the recipient was
not the buyer].
Exhibit 1: Order receipt showing the gift note dated [date].
Exhibit 2: Buyer's account, billing details and contact.
Exhibit 3: Tracking scan showing delivery to [address] on [date].
Exhibit 4: [Any message from the buyer or recipient].
Compelling Evidence 3.0 (Visa 10.4):
Re: Order #[number], A$[amount], reason: fraudulent (Visa 10.4)
Summary: The cardholder has [2 or more] prior undisputed transactions
with us on [dates], within the qualifying window, with matching [IP /
device ID] and shipping address [address].
Exhibit 1: Disputed order with IP, device and address.
Exhibit 2: Prior order [date 1] with the same data.
Exhibit 3: Prior order [date 2] with the same data.
Exhibit 4: Delivery records.
Use only facts you can show in any unrecognised charge dispute. If a field is blank, leave it blank rather than guess. Never state an ECI value or a match you have not seen.
Three stories: how an unrecognised charge dispute plays out
Here are three made-up disputes, each on a different cause. They show how the same label leads to different files.
Story one: the statement name (A$96). A repeat customer with three clean orders in the last nine months disputes a fourth as unrecognised. The statement showed your payment processor's name, not your shop's. You send the order confirmation email, the three prior orders to the same address, the matching IP country and the delivery record, and you say plainly that you cannot show why the statement name was not recognised. This is exactly the profile Compelling Evidence 3.0 is built for if the reason code is Visa 10.4. You fight, and you fix the descriptor the same day.
Story two: the birthday present (A$140). A buyer orders a gift for a friend and pays with her partner's card, with the gift note saved on the order. The partner sees A$140 on the statement, does not recognise it, and disputes. The billing name differs from the buyer's account, so you explain it. You send the gift receipt, the buyer's account and messages, and the tracking scan showing the recipient accepted the parcel. A gift order like this is winnable because the trail is clear, and the dispute is really a communication gap inside a household.
Story three: the rushed order (A$380). A new customer, a high-value order, an IP in another country, rush shipping to a new address, a billing address that does not match. The parcel was delivered and signed for by someone. Nothing in the file points to the cardholder. This is where a fair diagnosis matters. You check for any prior orders and any message, find none, and weigh whether to fight. With no authentication result and no history, the realistic move is often to accept and tighten fraud review on similar orders.
| Story | Cause | Key evidence | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Descriptor confusion | Prior clean orders, same address and IP | Fight, fix the descriptor |
| Two | Gift order | Gift receipt, buyer account, tracking | Fight |
| Three | Likely fraud | Little that links the cardholder | Often accept, review fraud rules |
The pattern is the same as in most dispute work. The label is the same, the files are different, and the diagnosis in the first ten minutes decides everything after.
What should you say to the customer before it becomes a dispute?
Reply the same day with the facts, in plain words. An inquiry takes no money, and a customer who gets a clear answer often drops it. Shopify says customers are expected to contact the merchant first, so a fast, friendly message is both good service and good evidence.
Hi [name],
Thanks for getting in touch. The charge of A$[amount] on [date] is for
order #[number] from [Shop name], placed on [date] for [items].
It may appear on your statement as "[descriptor]". We sent a confirmation
to [email] on [date] and the parcel was delivered on [date] to
[address line].
If you don't recognise the order, please reply and I'll check it
straight away. If it isn't yours, tell me and I'll [cancel / refund] it.
[Your name]
If the reply says "that was a gift" or "oh, that's my partner's order", you have just resolved it. If the reply says "I didn't order this", you have learnt something important and you can refund before a chargeback exists, which avoids the A$25 fee and the chargeback rate. Save the thread either way.
Stripe says an unanswered inquiry can escalate, and Shopify says an inquiry does not take money but can become a chargeback. So answer every inquiry.
Should you fight, refund or accept an unrecognised charge dispute?
Fight an unrecognised charge dispute when you hold real evidence and the case is not obvious fraud. Accept when you have thin evidence or clear fraud signals. A refund before the dispute lands is cheaper than either, but it depends on timing.
Take an A$180 order. Shopify Payments takes the A$180 and the A$25 fee, returned if you win. Say a response takes A$15 of time. If you accept, you lose A$205. If you fight, you spend A$15 and lose A$205 only if you lose. So fighting wins whenever your chance of winning exceeds A$15 divided by A$205, about 7 percent. That is a low bar for a case with real evidence.
Two things change that. First, if the case is clear fraud, with a mismatched IP, a new address and a high-value rush order, your chance may genuinely be near zero, and the response time is better spent elsewhere. Second, winning does not remove the dispute from your chargeback rate. Shopify says the rate counts disputes filed, so prevention still matters.
Stripe notes that about 40 percent of early fraud warnings on Visa and Mastercard become fraud disputes if they are not refunded, and that a refund only prevents the dispute if it is reversed within about two hours of the warning. I could not verify how this works for Shopify Payments in Australia. If your account does show early fraud warnings, treat them as a short window to refund an order you doubt.
| Situation | Move |
|---|---|
| Honest confusion, repeat customer, good records | Fight. Include the history |
| Gift with a clear trail | Fight |
| New customer, mismatched signals, high value | Weigh carefully. Accept if you hold nothing solid |
| Complaint or inquiry before a chargeback | Reply fast. Offer help or a refund if it is fair |
| Pattern of claims from the same customer or address | Fight, and consider blocking future orders |
What does an unrecognised charge dispute look like, day by day?
Here is a plan for a notice that arrives on Tuesday 3 November 2026 with a due date of Tuesday 17 November 2026. Your own dates will be on the notice.
| Date | Task | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 3 Nov | Read the reason and due date. Check your balance. | Dispute logged |
| Wed 4 Nov | Pull the order, billing, IP, device and fulfilment records. | Core exhibits |
| Thu 5 Nov | Answer the five triage questions. Write the one-line diagnosis. | Cause identified |
| Fri 6 Nov | Check prior orders for CE 3.0, and look for any customer messages. | History exhibit |
| Mon 9 Nov | Decide: fight, refund where possible, or accept. | Decision logged |
| Tue 10 Nov | Draft the cover note. | Draft v1 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Read it cold. Check every claim against a document. | File v2 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Submit, five days early. Save the confirmation. | Submitted |
| After | Keep the file until the dispute closes. | Record kept |
Shopify Payments sends whatever is on file on the due date of an unrecognised charge dispute. Finishing on Thursday leaves five days for a problem. Pay Advantage's guide also warns that missing a deadline almost always means an automatic loss.
How do you prevent the next unrecognised charge dispute?
To prevent an unrecognised charge dispute, make the charge easy to recognise and easy to ask about. Shopify's guidance on preventing chargebacks lists the main steps: a recognisable descriptor, receipts at payment, accurate delivery estimates, tracking and delivery confirmation, easy contact information, a clear return policy, quick refunds, and reviewing suspicious orders through fraud analysis.
| Habit | Why it cuts unrecognised charge dispute risk |
|---|---|
| Recognisable descriptor | The statement matches the brand the buyer remembers |
| Receipt at payment | Gives the buyer a record with the shop name on it |
| Dispatch email with tracking | A second reminder, and a timestamp |
| Easy contact details | Customers ask you first, not their bank |
| Gift receipts and notes | The recipient and the card holder can both see what it is |
| Fraud analysis on high-risk orders | Shopify says to review and cancel high-risk orders |
| Fast replies to "what is this charge?" | An inquiry takes no money and can end there |
A simple test: ask someone who has never heard of your shop to read your statement line and your order email, and tell you what the purchase was. If they hesitate, your customers will too.
What is different for Australian merchants?
General information, not legal advice.
Fees and process
On Shopify Payments in Australia the chargeback fee is A$25, returned if you win. The response window is usually 7 to 21 days and the card company's review can take up to 75 days after you submit. Stripe lists A$25 for a dispute received and A$25 more if you counter, on its own accounts, for disputes since 17 June 2025.
Banks and rules
Pay Advantage says chargebacks in Australia are governed by the ePayments Code, administered by ASIC, and apply to most Australian banks and to Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It advises tailoring evidence to the reason, sending PDFs, keeping records for 12 to 18 months, verifying suspicious orders manually by calling or asking for ID, and using 3D Secure for higher-risk orders.
Time limits
State consumer bodies commonly cite chargeback time limits of 45 to 120 days depending on the card provider. I carried that range from earlier research and could not re-open the Consumer Affairs Victoria page. The ACCC also notes that time limits may apply when you sell online.
What I could not verify: how Shopify Payments applies Compelling Evidence 3.0 in Australia, how 3D Secure works for Australian orders, whether AVS results are visible to Australian merchants, Mastercard's equivalent criteria, and a published win rate for unrecognised disputes.
What are the common mistakes with an unrecognised charge dispute?
Most unrecognised charge dispute mistakes come from skipping the diagnosis.
- Treating every unrecognised charge dispute as fraud, or every unrecognised charge dispute as friendly fraud.
- Sending delivery evidence for a fraud claim and identity evidence for a delivery claim.
- Leaving the billing descriptor unchecked for years.
- Not saving the order confirmation email as sent.
- Relying on an IP match as proof of identity.
- Forgetting prior orders when the customer is a repeat buyer.
- Stating an authentication result or a match you have not seen.
- Sending links instead of screenshots.
- Missing the due date, which almost always means an automatic loss.
- Counting a win as if it never happened, when it still counts toward the chargeback rate.
The first is the most expensive. A fair diagnosis wins more disputes and loses fewer customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is an unrecognised charge dispute on Shopify?
It is a chargeback where the cardholder tells their bank they do not recognise a transaction. Shopify lists "unrecognized" as a reason. The claim does not say why: it could be a confusing descriptor, a gift, fraud or friendly fraud, so diagnose the cause before you respond.
What evidence does Shopify want for an unrecognised charge dispute?
Shopify lists the fulfilment date and time, billing information, the IP and country, and shipping and tracking details. Add the order confirmation email, any customer messages and prior undisputed orders. Label each piece and send screenshots rather than links, as Shopify advises.
How long do I have to respond?
On Shopify Payments the window is usually 7 to 21 days, and your notice shows the exact due date. The card company can then take up to 75 days to decide. Shopify Payments submits what is on file on the due date, so finish early.
How much is the dispute fee in Australia?
On Shopify Payments in Australia the fee is A$25, returned if you win. Stripe lists A$25 for a dispute received and A$25 more if you counter on its own accounts. Check the fee shown in your own account before you decide.
What is Compelling Evidence 3.0?
It is a Visa process for defending a reason 10.4 fraud dispute using at least two prior undisputed transactions from the same customer, within a window of 120 to 364 or 365 days, with matching data such as IP or device ID plus a shipping address or account ID.
Does a matching IP prove the customer placed the order?
No. It supports your case, but it does not prove who was at the keyboard. A matching device does not either. Present the IP as one fact among several: billing, delivery, history and any contact, and say what each record shows and what it does not.
How do I handle a gift order that was disputed as unrecognised?
Show the gift trail: the order receipt with the gift note, the buyer's account and billing details, the tracking scan showing who accepted the parcel and any message from the buyer or recipient. Explain that the card holder and the recipient may be different people.
Should I refund an order I think is fraudulent?
If it is still an inquiry or you see a warning early, a refund can be cheaper than a dispute. Stripe says refunding on an early fraud warning only prevents a dispute if it is reversed within about two hours. Once a chargeback is open, check whether a refund is still possible.
Does 3D Secure protect me from unrecognised charge disputes?
It can for fraud-coded disputes such as Visa 10.4, when the customer fully authenticates. It does not cover non-fraud reasons. I could not verify how Shopify Payments applies 3D Secure to Australian orders, so ask your acquirer in writing and keep the answer.
How do I stop unrecognised charge disputes?
Set a recognisable billing descriptor, send a receipt at payment and a dispatch email with tracking, make your contact details easy to find, include gift receipts for gift orders, and reply quickly when a customer asks what a charge is. Prevention is cheaper than winning.
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Sources
- Reasons for a chargeback or inquiry, Shopify Help Center
- Overview of the chargeback and inquiry process, Shopify Help Center
- Preventing chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
- How disputes work, Stripe Docs
- Dispute reason code categories, Stripe Docs
- Understanding chargebacks, Pay Advantage
- What the 3D Secure liability shift actually covers, Redo
- How do issuers evaluate chargeback disputes, Chargeflow
- Selling online, ACCC
01Preventing disputes
02Dispute evidence
03Dispute evidence
04Dispute evidence
05Dispute reasons
06Dispute reasons