Amex Chargeback Reason Code F10: Missing Imprint
Description
An issuer received a complaint from the cardholder that he did not participate in the purchase and merchant did not provide the copy of an imprint of the card. A card-not-present transaction does not qualify for this chargeback reason code. Cardholder can dispute the transaction within 120 days from the transaction processed.
Most Common Causes
- The merchant processed a transaction card owner did not participated in.
- Transaction is processed on invalid card using an account number.
- A family member ordered from the primary cardholder’s account without his permission.
- Merchant did not obtain correct card information from the cardholder.
Evidence Required
- If the transaction was a mobile order, telephone order or Internet transaction and an authorization approval was received and address verification was made that matched cardholder’s street address and ZIP code, and that the evidence can be provided about the product delivery to the correct address as per AVS query, send the POD, order receipt and any additional documents related to the transaction.
- If the transaction was processed without the use of address verification system (AVS) send a copy of the order receipt, proof of delivery (POD) with the sign of cardholder on it and the other documents explaining the product and complete transaction details.
- If the transaction was processed in card present environment, this chargeback would be invalid, in this case, prove that the cardholder participated in the transaction by providing order receipt showing the card imprint and cardholder’s signature.
Prevention:
- Make sure to obtain an authorized approval for all the e commerce and recurring transactions regardless of the dollar amount.
- Read back the account number, especially for transactions made via phone. Always verify account number so that there are no errors or misunderstandings.
- Identify the type of transaction, such as card-not-present, and use appropriate codes for identifying transactions as e-commerce, telephone order, and Mail order during settlement process and authorization. Usually, this will automatically be done by the processing system, or by indicator button.
- Make sure to use security codes and AVS. These services are designed to prevent card-not-present related frauds.
- Set your billing descriptor correctly. The merchant can manage the way business name appears on the customer billing statement with the help of a tool known as billing descriptor. It usually is set up so that the merchant can display “Doing Business As “(DBA) name, but some processors may use the legal name as per default settings. The merchant can work with its processor to ensure the descriptor is set in a way that would be easier for the customers to recognize. The merchant must ensure that all the information such as internet address, state, city, and phone number are displayed correctly so that the customer can locate it.
Common Examples
- Linda is fond of shopping. She was browsing through a number of online clothing stores one day and spontaneously decides to buy few things from a store. Few days later she checks her account and finds out an un-recognizable charge. She tries to reach to the merchant but is unable to due to lack of descriptor, so she decides to put a dispute on the account under the Reason Code F10: Missing Imprint.
- George found her mother’s Amex card lying around so he decided to order some good food and treat himself. His mom later finds out an unknown charge on her account and calls her bank. She explains to her bank that she doesn’t recognize the charge and also insists that she never leaves her card unattended. Having heard from her, the bank decides to put a chargeback on the merchant under the Reason Code F10: Missing Imprint.
