Fake orders from other countries on Shopify

Is it fake?

Typical signs are orders from countries you don't market to, billing and shipping countries that don't match, throwaway email domains, several orders with the same name and different cards, and orders that Shopify's fraud analysis marks as high risk. None of these proves fraud on its own; together they are a good reason not to ship before you check.

What to do with the orders you already have

• Don't fulfill until you have checked the order.
• Cancel and refund orders you believe are fraudulent, and restock the items.
• If payments were made with stolen cards, expect chargebacks and keep notes.

Stopping more coming in

First, ship only to the countries you serve (Settings > Shipping and delivery). Then decide whether you also want to stop visitors and checkouts from those countries.

• Storefront: block visitors by country so they don't see your products. Free plan: up to 3 countries.
• Checkout (Pro): stop checkouts by shipping or billing country, email domain or phone prefix, including Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Review (Pro): Flag risky orders tags new orders that match your rules with regionly:review and can place a fulfillment hold so they are not shipped until you release them.

Storefront blocking runs in the visitor's browser through a theme app embed, so a determined visitor can get around it with a VPN, by turning JavaScript off, or by opening a direct checkout link. It is a filter for ordinary traffic, not a wall.

Why do I get orders from countries I don't ship to?

Often because the billing address or a direct checkout link is used, or because the shipping country is still in a shipping zone. Check your zones first, then add checkout rules (Pro) if billing country, email or phone are the pattern.

Will blocking the country stop all fake orders?

No. It stops visitors and checkouts that match your rules. Fake orders that use addresses and cards from your own market need Shopify's fraud analysis and manual review.