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Fraud Protection ​

Overview ​

Protect your referral program from abuse with automated and manual fraud prevention measures. The system automatically blocks suspicious referral activity while giving you tools to manually manage problem users.

Automatic Fraud Prevention ​

The system automatically prevents common referral fraud patterns.

Same Email Prevention ​

Prevents Advocates from referring themselves using the same email.

How It Works:

Advocate email: sarah@example.com
Friend email: sarah@example.com

Result: BLOCKED
Reason: Same email address

Prevents:

  • Self-referrals
  • Creating fake friend accounts with same email
  • Single person claiming both rewards

Same IP Address Prevention ​

Prevents referrals from the same IP address.

How It Works:

Advocate IP: 192.168.1.100
Friend IP: 192.168.1.100

Result: BLOCKED
Reason: Same IP address

Prevents:

  • Self-referrals from same device/location
  • Household members gaming the system
  • Single person using multiple accounts

Important Note:

  • Legitimate household referrals may be blocked
  • Consider communicating this limitation
  • Manual unblock available if needed

Prevents referrals when the same browser/device is used.

How It Works:

Advocate browser cookie: abc123
Friend browser cookie: abc123

Result: BLOCKED
Reason: Same cookie detected

Prevents:

  • Self-referrals from same browser
  • Using incognito/private browsing
  • Quick account switching on same device

Manual Blocks ​

Block specific customers or IP addresses/emails preemptively.

Block Individual Customers ​

Prevent specific customers from participating in referral program.

Process:

  1. Navigate to Referral > Fraud Protection
  2. Click Block Customer
  3. Search for customer by name or email
  4. Select customer
  5. Click Add to Blocklist
  6. Customer is blocked

What Happens:

  • Customer cannot share referral links
  • Customer cannot claim Friend discounts
  • Existing referrals remain valid
  • Customer sees "You are not eligible for the referral program"

Use Cases:

  • Repeated fraud attempts
  • Terms of service violations
  • Abuse of program
  • Multiple suspicious referrals

Blocklist by Email ​

Add email addresses to blocklist to prevent participation.

Process:

  1. Navigate to Fraud Protection
  2. Go to Email Blocklist section
  3. Click Add Email
  4. Enter email address
  5. Add note (reason for block)
  6. Save

What Happens:

  • Email cannot be used as Advocate
  • Email cannot be used as Friend
  • Applies to future account creation
  • Existing accounts with email are blocked

Use Cases:

  • Known fraudulent emails
  • Temporary email services
  • Previously blocked users creating new accounts

Example:

Blocked Emails:
- fraud@tempmail.com (Reason: Temporary email service)
- abuser123@example.com (Reason: Multiple fake referrals)
- spam@gmail.com (Reason: Repeated violations)

Blocklist by IP Address ​

Add IP addresses to blocklist to prevent participation.

Process:

  1. Navigate to Fraud Protection
  2. Go to IP Blocklist section
  3. Click Add IP Address
  4. Enter IP address
  5. Add note (reason for block)
  6. Save

What Happens:

  • IP cannot create referrals
  • IP cannot claim Friend discounts
  • Applies to all accounts from that IP
  • Applies immediately

Use Cases:

  • Known fraud IP addresses
  • VPN/proxy services
  • Data center IPs
  • Repeated abuse from location

Example:

Blocked IPs:
- 192.168.1.50 (Reason: Multiple self-referral attempts)
- 10.0.0.100 (Reason: VPN service)

IP Blocking Considerations

IP blocking may affect legitimate customers:

  • Shared office/public WiFi
  • Dynamic IPs (changes over time)
  • Household members on same network

Use IP blocking sparingly and for clear fraud cases.

Unblocking ​

Remove blocks when appropriate.

Unblock Customer ​

Remove a customer from the blocklist.

Process:

  1. Navigate to Fraud Protection
  2. Find customer in Blocked Customers list
  3. Click Unblock
  4. Confirm action
  5. Customer can now participate

Use Cases:

  • False positive
  • Customer resolved issue
  • Legitimate explanation provided
  • Temporary block expired

Remove from Email Blocklist ​

Process:

  1. Navigate to Email Blocklist
  2. Find email in list
  3. Click Remove
  4. Confirm action

Remove from IP Blocklist ​

Process:

  1. Navigate to IP Blocklist
  2. Find IP in list
  3. Click Remove
  4. Confirm action

Monitoring Fraud Patterns ​

Watch for suspicious activity.

Red Flags:

  • Multiple referrals from same Advocate in short time
  • High percentage of blocked referrals for one Advocate
  • Unusual spike in referral claims
  • Many referrals from similar email patterns (test1@, test2@, etc.)
  • Referrals from disposable email services
  • High referral activity with low purchase conversion

Actions to Take:

  1. Review suspicious Advocate's referrals
  2. Check Friend email patterns
  3. Verify Friend purchases are legitimate
  4. Block if fraud is confirmed
  5. Consider tightening fraud rules if needed

Best Practices ​

1. Communicate Limitations ​

Let customers know about fraud prevention:

In Terms and Conditions:

- Referrals must be to different people
- Self-referrals are not allowed
- Same household referrals may not be eligible
- Fraudulent activity will result in removal from program

2. Monitor Regularly ​

Check fraud protection weekly:

  • Review blocked referrals
  • Look for patterns
  • Update blocklists
  • Unblock false positives

3. Be Fair ​

Not all blocked referrals are fraud:

  • Household members may share IP
  • Couples may shop from same device
  • Office referrals may share network

Investigate before permanent blocks.

4. Act Quickly ​

When fraud is detected:

  • Block immediately
  • Review all referrals from that Advocate
  • Check for related accounts
  • Consider point adjustments

5. Document Decisions ​

Keep notes on:

  • Why customers were blocked
  • Investigations performed
  • Evidence of fraud
  • Communication with customer

Summary ​

Fraud Protection safeguards your referral program through automatic detection of common fraud patterns (same email, IP, and cookie) and manual tools to block problematic users. By monitoring blocked referrals and maintaining blocklists, you can prevent abuse while ensuring legitimate referrals are properly credited.

Balance fraud prevention with customer experience - not all blocked referrals indicate malicious intent. Regular monitoring and fair judgment help maintain a healthy referral program that rewards genuine advocacy while protecting your program economics.