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Returns Fraud Unpacked: How Merchants Fight Abuse and Build Customer Loyalty (w/ Pedro Sanzovo)
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Duration 23:17
In this episode, Vito Petruzzelli sits down with Pedro Sanzovo, Sr. Director of New Products at Signifyd, to dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of ecommerce returns.
Pedro, who brings a diverse background in fraud prevention and analytics, frames returns as a crucial moment where consumer trust is tested and loyalty can be won. However, he also highlights how this customer-centric approach has unintentionally created new vulnerabilities, as fraudsters and abusers exploit increasingly lenient return policies designed to delight legitimate shoppers.
The conversation explores the dramatic shift from brick-and-mortar to online return experiences. Pedro and Vito discuss logistical challenges unique to ecommerce, such as higher costs, lack of in-person exchanges, and the complexities of offering instant refunds—a trend that, while aimed at recapturing customer goodwill, can be easily manipulated by bad actors. Pedro provides several real-world examples of returns fraud, from the infamous “rock in the box” scam to advanced tactics like label manipulation, stressing that many merchants still lack visibility into how much fraud and profit erosion occur due to poor data integration and process controls.
Pedro outlines a four-step path to returns management maturity, starting with gaining visibility over returns data, controlling obvious fraud, addressing grey-area abuse, and finally, optimizing processes to tackle excessive returns driven by business inefficiencies. The episode concludes with a discussion on the personal and professional growth opportunities in this complex, cross-functional space—ideal for problem solvers who thrive on both analytical work and broad collaboration. Pedro’s passion for the field underscores the exciting potential for companies and individuals willing to tackle the challenges of modern returns.
Chapters:
00:00 Ecommerce Returns and Fraud Challenges
03:48 Reevaluating Ecommerce Return Costs
08:56 Vito's Creative Fraud Strategies
11:55 Overcoming Refund Fraud Challenges
16:02 Reducing Returns Through Consumer Insights
19:31 Challenges in Ecommerce Returns Process
20:36 Embracing Passion in Problem Solving
Connect with Vito on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitopetruzzelli/
Tackling the Hidden Costs of Ecommerce Returns and Boosting Customer Retention (w/ Rajesh Ramanand)
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Duration 25:46
In this episode, Vito Petruzzelli talks with Rajesh Ramanand, the Founder and CEO of Signifyd and a seasoned expert with nearly 25 years in retail and ecommerce, for an in-depth discussion on the growing challenge of product returns in the digital marketplace.
They kick things off by exploring how the convenience of online shopping has led to a staggering volume of returns—nearing $900 billion annually in the US alone—and how retailers are struggling to replicate the in-store experience, where returns often lead to additional purchases. Raj emphasizes that while brick-and-mortar stores could recapture lost revenue by encouraging customers to shop after a return, recreating that journey online remains a significant hurdle.
A key point of the conversation centers on the hidden costs and organizational fragmentation surrounding returns. Vito and Raj shine a light on how returns have long been accepted as a standard part of business, leading to a lack of clarity and ownership over the issue. Raj explains that no single department oversees the entire returns process; data is scattered across multiple teams, making it almost impossible to identify patterns of negligent or abusive returns, promotional gaming, and supply chain-related errors like inconsistent sizing. By breaking down the avoidable portion of returns—estimated at roughly 50%—the episode provides actionable insights into how retailers can use unified data and analytics to both minimize avoidable returns and improve overall margins.
Looking to the future, the discussion shifts to technology-driven opportunities in the returns ecosystem. Raj highlights the promise of instant refunds for trusted customers, revealing that such measures can prompt 40% of returners to make immediate repeat purchases—helping merchants offset both the direct and indirect costs of returns. He concludes by advising retail leaders to establish clear ownership of the returns function, invest in holistic data analysis, and deploy targeted strategies that reduce costs while maximizing customer value. The episode offers strategic guidance and real-world examples, making it a must-listen for anyone in retail, ecommerce, or revenue management.
The Death of Traditional Websites Is Here (w/ Craig DeWitt)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 46:03
Craig DeWitt, Founder of Skyfire, reveals how agentic commerce is transforming online shopping and why traditional fraud detection systems are blocking billions in valid revenue. The data shows web traffic to major publications has dropped 70% in 6 months as consumers shift to AI-powered shopping interfaces, yet most merchants can't tell the difference between legitimate agent transactions and fraud attempts.
The current agentic commerce experience is clunky - users still manually input credit cards and navigate through traditional checkout flows. But that's about to change dramatically. Craig explains how Skyfire's identity and payments platform solves the core problems: bot managers blocking agent access, IP switching between browsing and payment that triggers fraud alerts, and the lack of PCI-compliant ways for agents to handle credit cards.
The solution involves Know Your Agent (KYA) tokens that provide verified identity information throughout the purchase journey, plus partnerships with card networks like Visa Intelligent Commerce for secure single-use cards. This creates a seamless flow where agents can browse with proper credentials, select products through APIs rather than web scraping, and complete purchases with verified payment methods.
The implications extend far beyond ecommerce. As search functionality moves from Google to chat interfaces, purchase intent follows. Craig predicts we're moving toward ambient shopping where AI understands your preferences and proactively makes purchases - democratizing the personal shopper experience that only wealthy people currently enjoy.
For fraud professionals, this represents both massive opportunity and risk. The current spit-and-glue approach creates false positives that block legitimate high-value transactions. Organizations need to start monitoring bot traffic patterns, partnering with their SEO teams to understand changing web analytics, and preparing for a world where traditional fraud signals become obsolete.
Key topics covered:
The Coming AI Shopping Revolution (w/ Jordan Brannon)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 43:59
AI shopping agents are quietly infiltrating ecommerce sites, creating a perfect storm for fraud teams. Jordan Brannon, President of Coalition Technologies, reveals how AI bots are already making purchases while appearing completely human - using real devices and browsers that bypass traditional fraud detection.
The challenge is massive. These AI agents look identical to legitimate customers in fraud systems, but companies like OpenAI are actively obfuscating their bot traffic to circumvent security measures. Meanwhile, organic web traffic is plummeting while AI-driven traffic spikes across the internet.
Jordan shares real examples from clients dealing with bot-driven product drops, social commerce fraud patterns, and the accessibility compliance issues creating new vulnerabilities. He also breaks down practical solutions including zero-party data collection, address validation APIs, and cross-team collaboration strategies.
Surviving Black Friday: Fraud Trends, AI, and Real-World Advice (w/ Kelley Andersen)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 43:28
In this episode of the Fraudcast, Gena Rivera and Vito Petruzzelli welcome Kelley Andersen, a seasoned leader in payments fraud and customer support tooling at Microsoft and former Amazon fraud expert, to dive into the latest challenges and strategies in e-commerce fraud prevention.
Kelley opens up about her journey from early aspirations in law to risk analytics in insurance, eventually leading major fraud teams at Amazon and Microsoft. She emphasizes the untraditional pathways many take into fraud prevention and sets the stage for an insightful conversation about the dynamic evolution of the field.
The discussion dives deeply into how customer support and fraud teams can—and should—work hand-in-hand, especially as online threats grow more sophisticated. Kelley and the panel stress that social engineering scams now target not just systems but the human element, making frontline customer service agents crucial sources of fraud intelligence. The conversation also covers manual review, the enduring value of the human touch despite rapid advances in AI, and the risks of relying solely on artificial intelligence for fraud detection. Matthew and other participants provide firsthand insights from both financial institutions and operational support, adding layers of real-world perspective.
A major focus of the episode is the rise of agentic commerce—AI-driven or bot-assisted purchasing—which is poised to reshape risk management, especially as Black Friday and other peak shopping events approach. Kelley urges fraud professionals to use this year as a “trial run” for new strategies, suggesting proactive testing and collaboration with other business teams to fine-tune responses to emerging threats. She also shares lessons from past failures, highlighting the importance of scalable, adaptable guardrails instead of aiming for zero fraud or zero tolerance. Ultimately, the episode is a practical, engaging exchange packed with advice and camaraderie for fraud fighters preparing for the ever-changing e-commerce landscape.
Chapters:
00:00 E-commerce Evolution with Kelley
Manual Review, AI, and the Future of Fraud Fighting (w/ Coby Montoya)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 43:02
In this episode of the Fraudcast, Vito Petruzzelli and Gena Rivera welcome the legendary Coby Montoya, a seasoned fraud and payments specialist with two decades of experience across companies like PayPal, American Express, and Sift.
The episode’s community-driven format encourages live participation and features contributions from fraud professionals including Ryan, Matthew, and Toy. The conversation kicks off with Coby sharing how a start in customer service gave him unique empathy for the human side of fraud and risk prevention—a perspective that continues to influence his approach even as technology changes.
Much of the discussion focuses on the evolving balance between automation (machine learning and AI) and human judgment in detecting and combating fraud. While the panel acknowledges that many legacy practices—like manual phone verification and simplistic signal-checking—have been left behind, they agree some older tools, such as IP address data and AVS, still retain value when used intelligently. Coby emphasizes that manual review is shifting from routine transaction approvals toward a more strategic “field intelligence” role, providing critical feedback to inform system improvements. The group also explores company structures and the importance of operational and analytical teams working closely, advocating for formal governance and shared escalation procedures to manage risks more holistically.
Timely topics around contemporary threats are addressed, from the increasing sophistication of phishing and social engineering attacks—which now blend urgency with convincing fake content—to the challenges of brand impersonation via cloned websites. The group debates how best to educate and protect consumers, discussing everything from creative UX changes to industry standards for verifying legitimate commerce agents. Looking to the future, they touch on the impending rise of AI-powered shopping agents and the associated questions about new fraud vectors and liability. The episode ultimately offers a practical, candid look at the state of e-commerce fraud today, blending technical know-how with real-world advice and an open invitation for the community to participate in ongoing collaboration.
The Art of Fraud Storytelling: Strategies to Be Seen, Heard, and Supported (w/ Brian Davis)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 46:19
This episode of Fraudcast centers on the theme of “making yourself heard” within ecommerce fraud and risk teams, featuring special guest Brian Davis, ecommerce fraud and risk legend.
Brian draws from his vast experience building fraud teams and processes across different business models to share a practical framework he calls “Know Your Stuff, Know Your Audience, Know Your Message.” The discussion emphasizes how fraud professionals can better communicate their insights and needs—whether addressing their own teams or presenting cases to executive leadership—by tailoring their messaging, using data-driven storytelling, and understanding the internal goals and priorities of other stakeholders.
Co-hosts Gena Rivera and Vito Petruzzelli guide an energetic, collaborative conversation, encouraging audience participation from industry peers like Shelley and Justin. Real-world scenarios come up—like handling internal roadblocks, making the business case for preventative controls, and ensuring that positive fraud outcomes don’t go invisible. The group exchanges strategies on framing impact in terms of ROI, customer experience metrics, and how to keep a record of “wins” for ongoing influence. Timely topics, like the confusion and opportunity around new compliance requirements such as VAMP, provide avenues to discuss starting proactive conversations with internal partners and breaking down organizational silos.
Overall, the episode balances expert insights with relatable stories from the field, offering both high-level frameworks and granular tactics for fraud and risk professionals looking to build stronger internal relationships, navigate company politics, and drive meaningful change in their organizations.
Chapters:
00:00 E-commerce Fraud Networking Session
05:29 Cross-Functional Team Contextualisation
08:09 Understand Your Responsibilities and Audience
10:12 Building a Personal Fraud Typology
From Fake Streams to Art Forgeries: Deep Dive into Creative Industry Fraud (w/ Steven Frank)
Monday, October 6, 2025 • Duration 42:06
This episode of Fraudcast takes a deep dive into the intricacies of fraud within the art and music industries, highlighting how schemes have evolved from historical payola scandals to modern manipulations involving bots, fake streaming numbers, and AI-generated content. Vito Petruzzelli and Gena Rivera set an open and inviting tone for discussion, encouraging active participation from the live audience. They lay the groundwork for a conversation that examines the ethical, technical, and operational complexities of stopping fraudulent activities in sectors where authenticity and provenance are often difficult to verify.
The episode features Steven Frank as the special guest, whose extensive two-decade career spans fraud prevention, AML, and risk management roles at companies like Sirius XM, Pandora, and in the investment banking sector. Frank shares his firsthand experience combating everything from digital music streaming fraud and content theft to anti-money laundering gaps in the fine art and luxury e-commerce markets. He emphasizes the ongoing tension between maintaining business growth metrics—like daily and monthly active users—and the need for robust verification and friction points to reduce fraud and comply with regulations, especially as new technologies and AI continually reshape the landscape.
Throughout the conversational and candid episode, audience members such as Ryan, Tom, and Ron contribute their own questions, delving into real-world concerns about chargebacks, emerging payment security standards, and balancing seamless customer experience with risk management. Key takeaways include the importance of rigorous manual oversight in chargeback disputes, practical tips for working with banks and payment processors, frank discussion about the limitations of relying on AI for financial dispute resolution, and a look ahead at the future of tokenized identities in both the payments and content royalty worlds. The episode ultimately offers both hope and caution: while the fight against fraud is ever-changing and complex, building stronger communities and sharing knowledge are essential to staying ahead.
Chapters:
00:00 Enhancing Virtual Networking Connections
Think Like a Fraudster to Beat Them at Their Own Game (w/ Anna Prince-Palmer)
Monday, November 3, 2025 • Duration 49:08
Fraud expert Anna Prince-Palmer reveals the psychological tactics that separate successful fraud fighters from those who constantly play defense. With 15 years of experience spanning law enforcement and tech, she breaks down why understanding criminal behavior is your most powerful weapon.
Anna explains why fraudsters are more motivated than you are - their survival often depends on success while you clock out at 5pm. She demonstrates how to think like an attacker by asking "how would I get this product if I had no money" and shares real examples of spinning up test accounts to find vulnerabilities before bad actors do.
The conversation tackles the dangerous phrase "acceptable risk" and why it signals weak defenses. When you leave small gaps open, fraudsters find them, exploit them, and share techniques with entire networks. Anna and the community discuss honey pot strategies, reseller fraud schemes, and the ego-driven nature of cybercriminals who can't resist bragging about their methods online.
Key insights include translating fraud concerns into business language that marketing and product teams understand, using fraud incidents as momentum for systemic changes, and building cross-functional relationships that prevent fraud from being siloed in the basement.
Key topics covered:
[00:00] Intro
[03:13] Celebrating one year fraud community milestone
Bots Are Stealing Your Black Friday Sales (w/ Jesse Martin-Alexander)
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 • Duration 46:32
Jesse Martin-Alexander from Kasada reveals how sophisticated bot networks are preparing for Black Friday by creating fake accounts and exploiting pricing errors right now. These aren't your typical nuisance bots - they're organized operations that can devastate your holiday sales and customer experience.
The conversation covers the real cost of bot attacks beyond just stolen inventory, including how over-aggressive bot protection can accidentally block legitimate customers, creating invisible revenue losses. Jesse explains why the traditional approach of making humans prove they're human through endless CAPTCHAs is failing, especially as AI agents begin to reshape e-commerce.
Looking ahead to 2025, AI-powered shopping agents will create new fraud vectors while simultaneously offering legitimate commerce opportunities. The challenge lies in distinguishing between helpful AI agents and malicious bots masquerading as legitimate traffic.
[08:02] Zero dollar checkout vulnerabilities exposed
[10:01] Why blocking bots reduces revenue
[12:21] Total cost of bot attacks
[14:29] Breaking organizational silos effectively
[18:34] AI agent commerce emergence explained
[22:04] Fraud risks with AI agents
[25:34] Peak season agent traffic predictions
[28:17] Preparing for AI commerce unknowns
[31:47] Agent identity verification challenges
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Discover shows related to The Weekly Fraudcast, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
[08:30] Current agentic checkout friction problems
[10:24] Know your agent identity solution
[13:51] API checkout beats website scraping
[16:19] Agentic traffic monitoring strategies
[17:39] Website traffic drops 70 percent
[19:21] Credit card access breakthrough coming
[22:21] Identifying missed revenue from blocks
[24:58] Adoption outpaces smartphone and internet
[27:00] Investment surge in agentic shopping
[29:34] Start with bot traffic analysis
[32:43] Ambient shopping replaces manual browsing
[35:36] Regional patterns in agentic traffic
[40:47] Next generation agent capabilities
[43:33] Two factor authentication for agents
[44:38] Contact Craig at Skyfire
Connect with Craig DeWitt on Twitter @cryptocowboy or reach out via email for more insights on agentic commerce strategies.
Subscribe for more fraud prevention insights and ecommerce trends that impact your bottom line.
Connect with Vito on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitopetruzzelli/
With Black Friday approaching, brands face a critical decision: block potentially legitimate AI purchases or risk fraudulent activity. The conversation covers everything from TikTok commerce fingerprinting challenges to delivery logistics fraud prevention.
This episode provides actionable insights for fraud professionals navigating the intersection of AI technology and ecommerce security. Learn how to prepare your systems, test your own site with AI agents, and collaborate with marketing teams to identify fraudulent traffic by channel.
Connect with Jordan Brannon at jordan@coalitiontechnologies.com or find Coalition Technologies by searching "SEO company" - they typically rank #1.
Subscribe for weekly fraud prevention insights and join our community of ecommerce security professionals tackling the industry's biggest challenges.
Connect with Vito on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitopetruzzelli/
Connect with Anna Prince-Palmer on LinkedIn for fraud strategy insights and follow the Fraudcast community for weekly discussions on the latest threats and defense techniques.
Subscribe for more fraud fighting strategies and risk management tactics from industry experts who've been in the trenches. New episodes every Wednesday.
Connect with Vito on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitopetruzzelli/
