Chargeback in e-commerce: how to prevent fraud and protect sales based on industry data

Chargeback follows one of the biggest challenges for virtual retailers in Brazil. This consumer protection mechanism, which should only be activated in cases of transactions not recognized by the bearer or in which the buyer claims problems related to the contracted product or service — such as divergence of values, non-receipt, delivery other than the agreed delivery or service failures, has been increasingly used. This attendance represents a significant risk to the financial health of the and e-commerce.

Recent data from Serasa Experian Digital Identity and Fraud Report 2025 they reveal a worrying scenario: 51% of Brazilians have already been victims of online fraud, an increase of 9 percentage points compared to the previous year. This growth in the number of fraud cases has a direct impact on chargeback rates, especially considering that 48% of these scams involved the use of cloned or counterfeit credit cards in 2024.

Renata Khaled, Vice President of Sales Tuna Pagamentos, prevention needs to be the number one priority of retailers.“O chargeback represents much more than the loss of the value of the sale. There are additional operating costs, possible penalties of acquirers, in extreme cases, the risk of losing the ability to process payment, in addition to the risk of image. Investing in prevention is no longer optional & is a matter of survival in current e-commerce”, alert.

The expert highlights three key pillars to reduce chargeback cases: fraud prevention technology, transparency in communication with the customer and strategic partnerships with payment gateways“Stores that implement advanced authentication systems, such as facial biometrics and behavioral analysis, can reduce fraud cases by up to 40%. Combined with this, a clear exchange and return policy and an agile and transparent” service, explains Khaled.

Serasa Experian numbers reinforce this approach: 91% consumers consider security the most important attribute in online shopping72% and 72% feel more secure when stores use robust authentication methods such as biometrics. 

In the report, Caio Rocha, director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian, points out that “the more robust the authentication process, the lower the chances of success of criminals.With the advancement of sophisticated scams, such as deepfakes and fraud driven by artificial intelligence, it is important to consider adopting technologies that are constantly improved, as well as a layered fraud prevention strategy, combining different technologies to strengthen security and strengthen trust in digital services”.

For retailers, therefore, the message is clear: ignoring the risks of chargeback can be a fatal mistakethe combination of anti-fraud technology, clear return and exchange policies and processes, quality customer service and partnerships with companies specialized in payments is the most effective way to protect sales and ensure business sustainability in the competitive Brazilian e-commerce market.