2009

Table Of Contents
Fraud Protection Services User’s Guide 93
Fraud Filter Reference
High-risk Address Filters
E
USPS Address Validation Failure Filter
What does the filter do?
This filter screens the Ship To and Bill To addresses (street number, street name, state, and
ZIP code) against the United States Postal Service database of existing addresses. The USPS
updates the database continually.
The specified action is taken whenever the address cannot be validated (it does not exist or is
incorrect in some way).
NOTE: The filter does not validate that the person named in the transaction data lives at that
address or even that the address is currently occupied—only that the address exists in
the database.
How does the filter protect me?
To trick a merchant’s filters, fraudsters sometimes deliberately misspell or make up street
names. This enables the fraudster to spoof AVS, geo-location, and high-risk address filters.
You can identify this basic form of spoofing by using the USPS Address Validation filter to
determine whether an address really exists.
NOTE: One useful side effect of the filter is that mis-keyed addresses of legitimate customers
can be identified before shipping.
IP Address Match Filter
What does the filter do?
This filter screens the IP address from which a transaction originates against a list of high-risk
IP addresses. An IP (Internet protocol) address is a unique identifier for a computer on a
TCP/IP network that can identify a particular network and a particular computer on that
network.
NOTE: IP Addresses are not always fixed like the addresses to physical buildings. Some
computers get a new IP address each time they connect to a network. The most general
level of the IP address indicates the region or country from which the computer is
connecting, and is thus relatively fixed. Therefore the IP Address risk list is most
effective as a screen for overseas fraud.
The specified action is taken whenever a submitted IP address appears in the risk list.
How does the filter protect me?
A customers IP address identifies a country, region, state, or city. As with ZIP codes, these
addresses can be associated with higher or lower likelihood of fraud. This is especially true
with high-risk countries that are known to be associated with especially high rates of fraud.
Required Transaction Data
You must send the customers IP address to use this filter.