Visa 3.0, Mastercard & AMEX Compaling Evidance Guid

What This Guide Covers

This guide helps you implement automated fraud chargeback protection through Visa 3.0 and Mastercard Fraud Protection programs. When properly configured, these programs can significantly reduce your liability for fraudulent chargebacks by automatically proving legitimate cardholder usage patterns.

Benefits for Your Business

• Reduce chargeback liability for qualifying fraud disputes
• Automated evidence collection for dispute resolution
• Protect legitimate transactions from false fraud claims
• Streamlined dispute process with pre-built evidence packages

Links to Card Scheme compelling evidence rules:

Visa 3.0

Mastercard FTP

Amex

How It Works

When a customer disputes a transaction as fraud, these programs automatically search your transaction history to find evidence that the same cardholder has made legitimate purchases before. If we can prove the cardholder has a history of successful transactions with matching patterns, the chargeback protection kicks in.

Key Requirement

You need at least 2 related transactions from the same cardholder (within a specific timeframe) to qualify for protection.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Identify Qualifying Chargebacks

Your chargeback must have one of these reason codes to be eligible:

Step 2: Find Related Transactions

To prove cardholder legitimacy, find transactions that match these criteria:

2A. Card Matching (All Must Match)

• Last 4 digits of the card number
• Card network (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
• Bank identification number (first 6 digits) - when available
• Billing descriptor (how the charge appears on statements)
• OR unique card identifier (if your system generates card fingerprints)

2B. Time Window

• Transactions must be 120-365 days before the disputed transaction
• Use your transaction timestamp to calculate this range

2C. Transaction Status

✅ Qualifying transactions:

• No disputes filed
• Only non-fraud chargebacks (if any)

❌ Disqualifying transactions:

• Any fraud disputes filed
• Active fraud reports on file

Step 3: Verify Cardholder Patterns

For each qualifying transaction, you must have at least one match from each category:

Device Evidence (Choose 1+)

• IP Address - Same internet connection
• Device ID - Same device/browser identifier
• User Agent - Same browser/device signature

Delivery Evidence (Choose 1+)

• Email address - Same account email
• Shipping address - Same delivery location
• Account ID - Same user account
• Subscription ID - Same recurring service

Additional Evidence (Include all available)

• Phone number - Same contact number
• Billing address - Same payment address
• Product details - Same or similar items purchased

Data Requirements

Required Transaction Information

For each qualifying transaction, collect these data points:

interface TransactionData {
  // Card Information
  cardLast4: string;           // Last 4 digits (e.g., "1234")
  cardScheme: string;          // "VISA", "MASTERCARD", "AMEX"
  bankId?: string;             // First 6 digits (optional)
  billingDescriptor: string;   // Merchant name on statement
  cardFingerprint?: string;    // Unique card ID (if available)
  
  // Transaction Details
  timestamp: Date;             // When transaction occurred
  transactionId: string;       // Your internal transaction ID
  status: string;              // "completed", "failed", etc.
  amount: number;              // Transaction amount
  
  // Dispute Information
  reasonCode?: string;         // If previously disputed
  reasonDescription?: string;  // Dispute reason details
  fraudReportActive: boolean;  // Any active fraud flags
  acquirerRefNumber?: string;  // Network reference number
}

Required Cardholder Information

interface CardholderData {
  // Device Evidence (need at least 1)
  ipAddress?: string;          // IP address used
  deviceId?: string;           // Device identifier
  userAgent?: string;          // Browser/app signature
  
  // Delivery Evidence (need at least 1)
  email?: string;              // Account email
  accountId?: string;          // User account ID  
  subscriptionId?: string;     // Subscription identifier
  
  // Shipping Details
  shippingAddress?: {
    street: string;
    city: string;
    state: string;
    zipCode: string;
    country: string;
  };
  
  // Additional Evidence (optional but recommended)
  phoneNumber?: string;        // Contact phone
  billingAddress?: Address;    // Billing address
  productName?: string;        // Product purchased
  productDescription?: string; // Product details
}