Social Engineering Trends in the Refund and Return Process

It’s as human as breathing to want something for nothing. Whether it’s that extra 10% discount or those free breadsticks, we’re hard-wired to want a little bit more. Unfortunately, that innate desire for more has led some consumers to push the boundaries for a few freebies.

Fraudulent activity exists in the physical space just as much as the digital world. Today, bad actors — even known customers — are resorting to tactics like coercion and social engineering to commit refund fraud or obtain refunds without returning goods. The issue is so prevalent that Kount’s experts suggest some businesses lose more to false refunds than chargebacks.

To get to the bottom of why and how consumers engage in borderline-fraudulent behaviors and how often customer service agents have to manage aggressive customer tactics, we went straight to the source.

Download the survey to learn more about:

• If consumers have ever sought a refund for something that wasn’t defective
• If consumers have ever convinced or coerced a customer service agent into issuing a refund and how they did it
• If consumers have ever hired a refunding service provider and how it worked
• How often customers request refunds without returning items
• How often customer service agents interact with customers who resort to excessive or manipulative tactics to obtain refunds
• How often customer service agents consider quitting their jobs after experiencing excessive or manipulative customers