Today we’re talking about refund fraud strategy and one of the most overlooked skills in fraud prevention.
Not detection.
Not modeling.
Getting leadership to care enough to invest in fixing the problem.
I’m joined again by my friend Vineet Grewal, Senior Manager of Risk at Wish.com. If you heard our last conversation a few weeks ago, Vineet explained why she made approval rates her North Star metric for fraud operations.
In this episode, we take that idea further.
Because a good refund fraud strategy doesn’t just require detecting abuse. It requires the ability to build a business case that senior leadership understands and supports.
And honestly, that’s where a lot of fraud teams get stuck.
Vineet shares the methods she’s used to present fraud problems to executives in a way that actually leads to action. Specifically, how she secured the resources needed to improve data visibility and accuracy for her fraud program.
She also walks through a fraud case she says she will never forget.
It started the moment she discovered refund claims fraud in the system. From there, she investigated the attack pattern, built the case for change, presented her solution to leadership, and eventually received approval to implement improvements across the program.
It’s a great example of what a fraud initiative looks like from discovery to investigation to implementation.
And we wrap up the episode with something a little lighter. Vineet talks about Saturday morning cartoons and explains why Tom and Jerry might actually be the perfect metaphor for the life of a fraud fighter.
Once you hear the analogy, it’s hard to unsee it.
What you’ll hear in this episode
- Why refund fraud strategy requires both detection systems and executive influence
- How refund claims fraud often reveals deeper data and accuracy problems inside fraud programs
- What fraud leaders need to do to build a business case leadership will approve
- How approval rates can help balance fraud prevention with customer experience
- Why communicating fraud risk in business terms is essential for executive buy-in
You should listen to this episode if you
- Work in fraud, risk, trust and safety, or ecommerce operations
- Want to improve refund fraud detection and refund abuse prevention
- Need a framework for presenting fraud prevention investments to leadership
- Are responsible for building a fraud business case for tools, staffing, or data
- Care about balancing fraud prevention with approval rates and customer experience
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Episode notes & key takeaways
Why refund fraud strategy often fails before it even begins
Let’s break this down.
Refund fraud strategy isn’t just about identifying bad actors. Most fraud teams already know refund abuse exists.
The challenge is convincing the broader organization that it’s worth solving properly.
Because refund fraud often sits in the gray space between customer experience and financial loss.
Companies want frictionless refunds and great service.
Bad actors quickly learn how to exploit that trust.
That’s where refund claims fraud starts showing up.
Customers claiming packages never arrived.
Refund requests after products were already used.
Returns that are never actually sent back.
Individually these cases may look small.
But at scale they create meaningful loss and operational pressure.
What fraud leaders need to do is shift the conversation from isolated incidents to system-level risk.
- Refund fraud prevention requires identifying patterns, not just individual cases
- Fraud analytics accuracy is critical for spotting abuse trends
- Fraud teams must translate operational signals into financial impact
- Leadership responds more clearly to business outcomes than fraud terminology
How to build a fraud business case leadership will approve
Here’s where the conversation gets especially practical.
A lot of fraud professionals assume that if they present the data, the case will make itself.
But that’s rarely how executive decision-making works.
Leadership teams are balancing growth, customer experience, operational costs, and revenue impact.
Fraud prevention is one input in that decision.
So a successful fraud business case has to connect fraud risk to business outcomes.
Loss reduction.
Customer trust.
Operational efficiency.
Platform health.
Vineet explains how she framed refund claims fraud as a broader operational problem, not just a fraud issue.
And that framing helped secure approval for better tools and data.
- Fraud business cases should emphasize business outcomes, not just fraud metrics
- Approval rates can reveal whether fraud systems are balanced correctly
- Fraud leaders must translate operational issues into financial impact
- Executive buy-in improves when fraud prevention aligns with company goals
Why approval rate strategy matters in refund fraud prevention
One of the most interesting parts of Vineet’s philosophy is her focus on approval rates as a guiding metric.
That may sound unusual for fraud prevention at first.
But the idea is simple.
If your system blocks too many legitimate customers, the business suffers.
If it approves too much fraud, losses increase.
Approval rate becomes a signal that tells you whether the system is balanced.
In refund fraud strategy, that balance becomes especially important. Companies want to protect themselves from abuse while still treating legitimate customers fairly.
The goal isn’t eliminating refunds.
The goal is detecting abuse without punishing legitimate customers.
- Approval rate strategy helps balance fraud prevention and customer experience
- Refund fraud detection should prioritize accuracy over blanket restrictions
- Better data improves fraud decisioning systems
- Fraud operations benefit from clear performance metrics
Why fraud fighters need both analysis and persuasion
One final takeaway from this conversation is something most fraud professionals eventually learn.
Detection alone isn’t enough.
Fraud leaders also need the ability to influence decisions across the organization.
That means explaining complex fraud patterns clearly.
Presenting risks in terms the business understands.
And building the internal support needed to implement solutions.
Vineet’s story about discovering refund claims fraud and turning that discovery into a fully approved fraud initiative is a perfect example of that process.
It’s not just investigation.
It’s translation.
And sometimes persistence.
- Fraud leaders need analytical and communication skills
- Fraud programs succeed when leadership understands the operational impact
- Refund fraud strategy improves when teams are empowered to implement change
- Strong fraud teams know how to turn insights into action
Final takeaway
The big takeaway from this episode is pretty straightforward.
Refund fraud strategy isn’t just about detecting abuse.
It’s about building the organizational support needed to actually stop it.
That means better data, better tools, and better communication with leadership.
Because when fraud teams can clearly explain the risk and the opportunity, it becomes much easier to turn insights into real change.
And that’s where the real progress happens.
