Help & Support

1. What is FraudClient?

FraudClient is a community-powered fraud prevention platform designed for online businesses. It allows you to screen new customers, monitor existing ones, and collaborate with other providers to prevent losses from fraud, chargebacks, spam, and abusive behavior. Our system is built with privacy at its core, using one-way hashing to protect sensitive data.

2. How It Works

FraudClient brings reporting, screening, and monitoring into one workflow:

Report & Contribute

When you encounter a fraudulent or abusive client, you can submit a factual report. FraudClient normalizes the submitted identifiers and stores one-way hashes for matching. The report becomes a privacy-conscious signal that can help other businesses recognize the same pattern.

Screen & Verify

Before approving a new order or customer, you can query their details through our system. We check the hashed data against our network's reports and provide you with a risk score, without revealing any personally identifiable information (PII).

Monitor & Protect

You can add clients to your personal watchlist and use the Query History feature to see if other businesses are screening them. This allows you to get proactive alerts and strengthen the entire community's defense against repeat offenders.

3. Reporting a Client

What happens when I file a report?

When you file a report, you provide information about the client and the reason for the report. This information is then processed in the following way:

• Data minimization: Client identifiers used for matching are normalized and converted into one-way hashes. FraudClient retains the report information needed to operate the service, handle disputes, and prevent abuse as described in our Privacy Policy.
• Point System: Each report is assigned a point value based on the severity of the reason for the report. For example, a chargeback report will be assigned more points than an early cancellation.
• Network Update: The hashed data and associated points are added to our network, making it available for other users to query.

How is the data kept?

Client identifiers used for matching are stored as one-way hashes. Report narratives, account records, audit information, and other operational data are protected separately and retained only as needed to provide and secure the service.

4. Searching for a Client

How do I search for information?

You can run a check with one or more identifiers such as a name, email address, username, phone number, or IP address. FraudClient normalizes and hashes those identifiers, then compares them with matching signals in the network.

What will I see in the search results?

If a match is found, you will see a summary of the reports that have been filed against that client, including:

• The total number of reports
• The total number of points
• A confidence score based on the number of unique reporters
• A reliability score (e.g., "Low Risk," "High Risk")

You will also be able to view the details of each report, including the reason for the report and any additional information provided by the reporter.

5. The Watchlist

What is the watchlist and how does it work?

The watchlist is a feature that allows you to monitor specific clients. You can add a client to your watchlist by providing their name, email address, IP address, or other identifying information. If another user files a report that matches a client on your watchlist, you will receive a notification.

This is a powerful tool for staying ahead of potential threats and keeping your business secure.

6. Privacy and Security

We take privacy and security very seriously. Here are some of the measures we have in place to protect your data:

• One-Way Hashing: Client identifiers used for matching are normalized and stored as one-way hashes rather than displayed as raw values in the shared network.
• Data minimization: We limit collection and retention to the information needed to provide, secure, audit, and improve the service.
• Secure Servers: Our servers are located in a secure data center in Canada and are protected by multiple layers of security.
• Removal & Dispute Workflow: We provide a clear and simple workflow for clients to dispute reports and request the removal of their data.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

Is the service free?

Yes, the core features of FraudClient, including reporting and queries, are free to use. We do not currently have any paid plans.

How do you protect personal data?

Client identifiers are normalized and converted to SHA-256 hashes for matching. Those hashes are not reversible. See our Privacy Policy for the categories of account, report, security, and operational information we process.

Can clients dispute a report?

Yes. Authenticated users can request removal from the report page. The reporting provider can approve or reject the request. Removed reports stop affecting matches and scores while an audit record of the action is retained.

What integrations are available?

We currently offer integrations for WHMCS and XenForo, as well as a REST API for custom integrations.

8. Contact

If you have any questions or need support, please visit our Community Forum.