Fraudulent merchant signalPrivate preview

Detect connected accounts engaging in fraudulent activity.

The fraudulent merchant signal identifies whether a new or existing account poses a fraud risk. The Stripe machine learning models analyze patterns across the network, including bank account information, business details, transaction activity, disputes, and relationships with other accounts.

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Risk levels

Each signal returns a risk_level and a probability score with a value between 0 to 100.

Risk level	Description
`highest`	Approximately a 90% probability that the account is fraudulent.
`elevated`	Approximately a 50% probability that the account is fraudulent.
`normal`	A low probability of fraud.
`low`	A very low probability of fraud.
`not_assessed`	The signal hasn’t been assessed for this account.

Indicators

The following indicators explain the factors that contributed to the risk assessment.

Indicator	Description
`bank_account`	The bank account matches a previously detected fraudulent account.
`business_information_and_account_activity`	We detected a spike in the average order value or payment volume, or suspicious business details.
`disputes`	We detect a spike in disputes.
`failures`	We detect a spike in payment failures.
`geo_location`	We detect account activity in a country that differs from the business location or that’s in a high-risk region.
`other_related_accounts`	The account is connected to a previously detected fraudulent account.
`other_transaction_activity`	We detect unusual transaction patterns, such as spikes in volume or order value.
`owner_email`	The email address uses a suspicious domain or doesn’t match the business URL.
`web_presence`	We detect a suspicious web presence, such as a domain that doesn’t match the business.

Webhook event

Listen for v2.signals.account_signal.fraudulent_merchant_ready event notifications when a fraud signal is evaluated. The event payload includes the risk_level, probability, and indicators for the connected account.

Take action on connected accounts

You can respond to the fraudulent merchant signals that you receive for a connected account using the Radar tools. See the list of available actions.