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Alva Digital Downloads

Enabling Fraud Prevention

Learn how to enable and configure fraud prevention to protect your digital products from fraudulent purchases.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”

Before enabling fraud prevention:

Required:

  • ✅ Shopify plan that includes fraud analysis (Shopify, Advanced, or Plus)
  • ✅ At least Basic or higher plan
  • ✅ Active shop with digital products

Note: Shopify Starter plans do not include fraud analysis.

How to Enable Fraud Prevention

Section titled “How to Enable Fraud Prevention”

Step 1: Navigate to Settings

Section titled “Step 1: Navigate to Settings”
  1. Open Alva Digital Downloads app
  2. Click Settings in the navigation menu
  3. Scroll to Fraud Prevention section

Step 2: Enable Fraud Prevention

Section titled “Step 2: Enable Fraud Prevention”
  1. Find the Enable Fraud Prevention toggle
  2. Click to turn ON (green)
  1. Settings panel expands showing configuration options

Step 3: Configure Fraud Settings

Section titled “Step 3: Configure Fraud Settings”

Fraud Prevention Options:

Automatically Flag High Risk Orders

Section titled “Automatically Flag High Risk Orders”
Toggle: ON (recommended)

What it does:

  • Orders flagged as “High Risk” by Shopify automatically held
  • No files sent until manual approval
  • Customer notified of delay

When to use: Always recommended for protection

Automatically Flag Medium Risk Orders

Section titled “Automatically Flag Medium Risk Orders”
Toggle: OFF (default)
Default: OFF
Recommended: Consider your risk tolerance

What it does:

  • Orders flagged as “Medium Risk” by Shopify held for review
  • May increase false positives
  • More manual review required

When to enable:

  • High-value digital products
  • History of fraud attempts
  • Extra caution needed

When to leave OFF:

  • Most orders are legitimate
  • Medium risk rarely indicates fraud
  • Want faster delivery

Hold All Orders for Review

Section titled “Hold All Orders for Review”
Toggle: OFF (default)
Use case: Special situations only

What it does:

  • Every order held regardless of fraud score
  • Manual approval required for all orders
  • Maximum control, slowest delivery

When to enable:

  • Temporary fraud spike
  • Launching new high-value product
  • Testing fraud prevention system
  • Special promotional periods

Not recommended for: Normal daily operations

Step 4: Save Configuration

Section titled “Step 4: Save Configuration”
  1. Review all settings
  2. Click Save button
  3. Confirmation message appears

✅ Fraud prevention is now active!

Configuration Options Explained

Section titled “Configuration Options Explained”

Risk Thresholds

Section titled “Risk Thresholds”

Low Risk:

Action: Auto-approve and send files
Shopify indicates: Legitimate order

Medium Risk:

Action: Auto-approve OR hold (based on your setting)
Shopify indicates: Some suspicious signals
Default: Auto-approve

High Risk:

Action: Always hold for review (when fraud prevention enabled)
Shopify indicates: Multiple fraud indicators

Email Notification Integration

Section titled “Email Notification Integration”

Fraud prevention works with email notifications:

Email Disabled + Fraud Enabled:

- Orders held silently
- No email sent while pending
- Email sent after manual approval

Email Enabled + Fraud Enabled:

- High/medium risk orders held (based on settings)
- Pending email sent to customer
- Download email sent after approval

Email Enabled + Fraud Disabled:

- All orders auto-approved
- Download email sent immediately
- No fraud checking

Testing Fraud Prevention

Section titled “Testing Fraud Prevention”

Test with Sample Order

Section titled “Test with Sample Order”

After enabling, test the system:

Option 1: Use Shopify Test Orders

  1. Create test order in Shopify admin
  2. Manually set fraud analysis to “High Risk”
  3. Check if order appears in Flagged Orders
  4. Approve/reject from app

Option 2: Wait for Real Orders

  1. Enable fraud prevention
  2. Monitor next few real orders
  3. Check Flagged Orders page for holds
  4. Approve legitimate orders promptly

Verification Checklist

Section titled “Verification Checklist”

After enabling, verify:

  • Toggle shows ON in settings
  • Configuration saved successfully
  • High risk orders appear in Flagged Orders page
  • Test order held correctly
  • Approval/rejection works
  • Emails sent after approval (if enabled)
  • Download links work after approval

How Fraud Prevention Works (Technical)

Section titled “How Fraud Prevention Works (Technical)”

Order Processing Flow

Section titled “Order Processing Flow”

With Fraud Prevention Enabled:

1. Customer completes purchase
2. Shopify sends ORDERS_PAID webhook
3. App receives order data
4. Check: Fraud prevention enabled?
   ↓
5. YES → Queue fraud check job
6. Background worker calls Shopify API
7. Retrieves fraud analysis
8. Decision:
   - Low Risk → Approve + send email (if enabled)
   - Medium Risk → Check settings
     - Auto-approve setting ON → Approve + send email
     - Auto-approve setting OFF → Hold for review
   - High Risk → Always hold for review
9. Held orders → Flagged Orders page
10. Manual approval → Send email + create download link

Background Processing

Section titled “Background Processing”

Fraud checks run asynchronously:

  1. Order webhook received (instant)
  2. Fraud check queued (instant)
  3. Background worker processes queue (within seconds)
  4. Shopify API called (1-2 seconds)
  5. Result stored in database
  6. Action taken based on risk level

Typical timeline: 5-10 seconds from purchase to decision

Impact on Customer Experience

Section titled “Impact on Customer Experience”

For Low Risk Orders

Section titled “For Low Risk Orders”

Customer sees:

  1. Completes purchase
  2. Receives order confirmation (Shopify)
  3. Receives download email within seconds (if emails enabled)
  4. Downloads files immediately

No difference from orders without fraud prevention.

For Flagged Orders (High/Medium Risk)

Section titled “For Flagged Orders (High/Medium Risk)”

Customer sees:

  1. Completes purchase
  2. Receives order confirmation (Shopify)
  3. Does NOT receive download email immediately
  4. Waits for manual review
  5. After approval:
    • Receives download email
    • Can access files

Email example (if enabled):

Subject: Order Under Review


Hi [Name],


Thank you for your order. We're reviewing it for security
purposes and will send your download link shortly.


Typical review time: 1-2 hours


[Shop Name]

Communication Best Practices

Section titled “Communication Best Practices”

During review period:

  • Set expectations in order confirmation
  • Respond to customer inquiries promptly
  • Review orders within 1-2 hours (business hours)
  • Approve legitimate orders quickly
  • Communicate clearly if rejected

Common Setup Issues

Section titled “Common Setup Issues”

Issue: Toggle Won’t Save

Section titled “Issue: Toggle Won’t Save”

Symptoms:

  • Toggle switches but reverts to OFF
  • Save button doesn’t work
  • No confirmation message

Solutions:

  1. Refresh page and try again
  2. Check internet connection
  3. Verify Shopify plan includes fraud analysis
  4. Check browser console for errors
  5. Contact support if persists

Issue: No Orders Being Flagged

Section titled “Issue: No Orders Being Flagged”

Possible causes:

  1. Orders are genuinely low risk
  2. Shopify hasn’t assigned fraud analysis yet (new shops)
  3. Fraud prevention not fully activated

How to verify:

  1. Check Settings → Fraud Prevention toggle is ON
  2. Create test high-risk order
  3. Check Flagged Orders page
  4. Review recent orders in Shopify admin for fraud analysis

Issue: All Orders Being Flagged

Section titled “Issue: All Orders Being Flagged”

Cause: “Hold All Orders for Review” enabled

Solution:

  1. Go to Settings → Fraud Prevention
  2. Turn OFF “Hold All Orders for Review”
  3. Keep only “High Risk” toggle ON
  4. Save settings

Issue: Customers Not Receiving Emails After Approval

Section titled “Issue: Customers Not Receiving Emails After Approval”

Check:

  1. Email notifications enabled in Settings → Email
  2. Email provider configured (Postmark/MailerToGo)
  3. Check Email Logs for send status
  4. Verify customer email address correct
  5. Check spam folder

Best Practices for Setup

Section titled “Best Practices for Setup”

1. Start Conservative

Section titled “1. Start Conservative”

First time enabling:

  • ✅ Enable High Risk flagging only
  • ❌ Don’t enable Medium Risk initially
  • ❌ Don’t enable “Hold All Orders”

Why: Learn how system works before increasing restrictions.

2. Monitor First Week

Section titled “2. Monitor First Week”

After enabling:

  • Check Flagged Orders daily
  • Review false positive rate
  • Adjust settings if needed
  • Track customer complaints

3. Set Review Schedule

Section titled “3. Set Review Schedule”

Establish routine:

  • Check Flagged Orders 2-3 times per day
  • Respond to customer inquiries promptly
  • Review within 1-2 hours (business hours)
  • Set up notifications (if available)

4. Document Decisions

Section titled “4. Document Decisions”

Keep log of:

  • Why orders approved
  • Why orders rejected
  • Common fraud patterns
  • False positives

Benefits:

  • Consistency in decisions
  • Training for team members
  • Pattern recognition
  • Dispute resolution

5. Communicate with Customers

Section titled “5. Communicate with Customers”

Be transparent:

  • Mention security review in order confirmation
  • Provide estimated review time
  • Respond quickly to inquiries
  • Explain rejections professionally

Advanced Configuration

Section titled “Advanced Configuration”

Risk Level Strategy by Product Value

Section titled “Risk Level Strategy by Product Value”

Low-value products ($5-20):

High Risk: Flag ✅
Medium Risk: Auto-approve ✅
Reason: Speed over caution

Medium-value products ($20-100):

High Risk: Flag ✅
Medium Risk: Flag ✅
Reason: Balanced approach

High-value products ($100+):

High Risk: Flag ✅
Medium Risk: Flag ✅
Consider: Manual review for all
Reason: Maximum protection

Seasonal Adjustments

Section titled “Seasonal Adjustments”

Holiday/Sale Periods:

  • Increase fraud monitoring
  • Consider flagging medium risk
  • Review orders more frequently
  • Expect higher fraud attempts

Normal Periods:

  • Standard high-risk flagging
  • Auto-approve medium risk
  • Regular review schedule

Team Coordination

Section titled “Team Coordination”

Multiple team members:

  • Assign review responsibilities
  • Set coverage schedule
  • Document approval criteria
  • Share fraud patterns
  • Regular team check-ins

Disabling Fraud Prevention

Section titled “Disabling Fraud Prevention”

When to Disable

Section titled “When to Disable”

Consider disabling if:

  • Very low fraud rate (<1%)
  • Creating customer friction
  • Want faster delivery
  • Manual review burden too high
  • False positive rate high

How to Disable

Section titled “How to Disable”
  1. Go to Settings → Fraud Prevention
  2. Turn OFF “Enable Fraud Prevention” toggle
  3. Save settings

Effect:

  • All new orders auto-approved
  • Existing flagged orders remain held
  • Must manually approve pending orders
  • Download emails sent immediately (if enabled)

Partial Disable

Section titled “Partial Disable”

Keep fraud prevention but reduce strictness:

  1. Keep fraud prevention ON
  2. Turn OFF medium risk flagging
  3. Only flag high risk
  4. Review less frequently

Monitoring & Maintenance

Section titled “Monitoring & Maintenance”

Regular Checks

Section titled “Regular Checks”

Daily:

  • Review Flagged Orders page
  • Approve/reject pending orders
  • Check customer support tickets

Weekly:

  • Review fraud prevention effectiveness
  • Check false positive rate
  • Adjust settings if needed

Monthly:

  • Analyze fraud trends
  • Review rejected orders
  • Update team training
  • Assess overall impact

Key Metrics to Track

Section titled “Key Metrics to Track”

Fraud Prevention Performance:

  • Total orders flagged
  • Approved vs. rejected ratio
  • False positive rate
  • Average review time
  • Customer complaints
  • Actual fraud prevented

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”