| Note: If you are selling paid applications on the Android Market, please read the following article. |
Automatic fraud detection
Google employs advanced risk modeling to detect fraudulent transaction cues across Google services. Fraudulent transactions are immediately cancelled after being detected. To protect you, any active orders associated with the same fraudulent credit card will also be cancelled. Google also actively leverages external, cross-industry resources -- such as worldwide fraud blacklists -- to prevent fraudulent users from accessing Google Checkout in the first place.
Customer review
When Google detects questionable activity related to an order you receive, Google will mark the order with a Customer review in progress status and perform fraud detection checks on the order to reduce your exposure to risk. During this time, you won't be able to charge the order.
In general, we complete reviews within four to six hours. Certain orders posing a higher potential risk may require more time as Google specialists perform even more extensive fraud detection checks for your protection. We may also contact you directly as a backup precaution. If Google determines that an order is high-risk or doesn't comply with Google Checkout policies, the order will be cancelled for your protection and cannot be reinstated.
Once Google confirms the validity of the order, the order will display a New status. At this point, you can safely charge the buyer's credit card and ship the order. Remember to charge the order within the appropriate appropriate time frame in order to be guaranteed funds.
Buyer information sharing
To help reduce your fraud risk, Google shares buyer credit verification information for each order you receive. You can use this information to perform your own fraud checks. To view buyer credit card verification information for a particular order:
- Sign in to Google Checkout at https://checkout.google.com/sell
- Click the appropriate order in your Orders Inbox.
- Buyer credit verification information will appear below the buyer's shipping information:
If Covered by Payment Guarantee appears, this order is eligible for Payment Guarantee Policy protection. Although an order may be eligible for the Payment Guarantee, merchants must meet certain additional criteria to be fully covered for the order.
The Address Verification System (AVS) check is helpful in comparing the buyer's billing address included in their account with the legitimate address that the credit card issuer has on file. If the AVS flag is Full, both the name and address that the buyer entered for the credit card completely match the information on file with the credit card's issuing bank. Other possible values for this field are Partial (either the address or the postal code matches), Unavailable, and No match.
The Card Verification Value (CVV) check is useful in confirming that the card holder has access to their actual credit card when placing their order. If the CVV flag is Match, the CVV code that the buyer entered for the credit card during the purchase completely matches the information on file with the credit card's issuing bank. Other possible values for this field are Error, Unavailable, and No match.
Account age shows you how long the buyer has been able to make purchases through Google Checkout.
If you're concerned about a particular order, or if you're unable to contact the buyer with the information we provide, you have the option to cancel the order to avoid further risk.
Risk information notifications
If you've integrated with our Notification API, additional Risk Information Notifications are available to you.
Chargeback Resolution and Payment Guarantee
All merchants are covered by our Chargeback Resolution Policy. Google will also guarantee payment for all transactions that are eligible for Google's Payment Guarantee Policy
