Fraud is an ever-present risk in digital commerce, especially for platforms that manage high volumes of transactions, such as donation websites and online stores. At Vardot, we've helped major humanitarian organizations like UNHCR and UNRWA launch secure donation platforms using Drupal and Drupal Commerce.
What Is Fraud?
Fraud in e-commerce is any deceptive activity that results in unauthorized transactions, stolen data, or chargebacks. This includes stolen credit cards, fake donations, bots submitting forms, and users disputing valid charges to get refunds.
For commerce or donations platforms, fraud can lead to financial losses, blocked transactions, or reputational damage. Preventing it requires multiple layers of protection.
Based on our experience, we’ve created a breakdown of fraud prevention mechanisms across the application, edge, gateway, and third-party layers — and how you can integrate them for maximum protection.
1. Edge Protection: Stopping Bad Traffic at the Perimeter
Bot Management, Utilizing CDN/WAF like Cloudflare
What it does: Cloudflare Bot Management uses behavior analysis, machine learning, and threat intelligence to detect and mitigate malicious bots before they reach your application.
Effectiveness:
Cost and Setup:
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Requires a Cloudflare Business or Enterprise plan.
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May involve additional monthly costs based on traffic volume.
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Configuration is straightforward, and as your vendor, Vardot can integrate this at the CDN level for optimal performance.
Recommendation: A must-have for all high-volume Drupal Commerce sites, especially those processing donations.
2. App-Level Protection: Frontline Defense at the Application Layer
2.1. CAPTCHA
What it does: CAPTCHA tools (like Google reCAPTCHA) prevent automated form submissions by requiring users to complete challenges.
Effectiveness:
Cost: Free with standard implementations. Enterprise versions are available for enhanced analytics and SLA guarantees.
Recommendation: Implement on donation forms, login pages, and sign-up flows. Vardot can configure this easily within your Drupal site using modules like CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA.
2.2. Order Scoring (Risk Assessment Systems)
What it does: Uses behavioral signals and order patterns to assess risk and score transactions accordingly. Often used to block or flag high-risk activity.
Effectiveness:
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Humans: Effective at identifying unusual behavior.
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Bots: Also effective, especially when combined with edge protection.
Limitation: Works best when it has access to card and transactional metadata. If no card data is processed directly (e.g., handled only via third-party gateways), its insights may be limited.
Cost: Typically bundled into fraud detection systems or gateways. Custom implementations may require external data services.
Recommendation: Vardot can help integrate order scoring using Drupal modules or connect with external fraud scoring APIs like Sift or Kount.
3. Payment Gateway-Level Protection
Gateway-Based Fraud Protection (e.g., Stripe Radar, 3D Secure)
What it does:
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Stripe Radar: Uses machine learning to detect and block fraudulent transactions.
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3D Secure: Requires the user to authenticate via their bank during checkout, adding an extra security layer.
Effectiveness:
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Humans: Very effective, with minor friction.
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Bots: Also effective, especially with 3D Secure.
Cost:
Limitations:
Recommendation: Leverage these tools as the core defense layer for transactional protection. Vardot can help clients configure these protections within Stripe, PayPal, or other payment gateway accounts, and ensure the Drupal Commerce integration passes required metadata correctly.
4. Third-Party Fraud Detection Services
What they do: Offer comprehensive fraud protection by analyzing every transaction in real-time using proprietary data, machine learning, and behavioral analytics. They also offer chargeback guarantees.
Effectiveness:
Cost:
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Typically involves a percentage-based fee (e.g., 0.5%–1% of transaction value).
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Requires API integration and configuration effort.
Recommendation:
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Best suited for organizations looking for a “set it and forget it” solution with indemnification.
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Vardot can handle the integration via APIs or modules and tailor the experience within your checkout flow.
Summary
| Layer |
Tool |
Effectiveness (Humans) |
Effectiveness (Bots) |
Cost/Limitations |
|---|
| Edge |
Cloudflare Bot Management |
Not Effective |
Effective |
Requires premium Cloudflare plan |
| App (Drupal) |
CAPTCHA |
Not Effective |
Effective |
Slight user friction, free or low cost |
| App (Drupal) |
Order Scoring |
Effective |
Effective |
Needs access to card/transactional data |
| Payment Gateway |
Stripe Radar, 3D Secure, or any Payment Gateway fraud features |
Very Effective |
Effective |
Requires setup per gateway, possible extra fees |
| Third-Party |
Tools such as NoFraud or Signifyd |
Very Effective |
Effective |
Additional cost, extra setup, often with chargeback protection |
How Vardot Can Help
As your digital experience partner, Vardot offers:
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Strategy: We help you select the right fraud prevention stack based on your business model, risk tolerance, and traffic patterns.
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Implementation: We configure and integrate Cloudflare, CAPTCHA, Stripe Radar, NoFraud, and other tools directly within your Drupal Commerce site.
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Custom Workflows: For higher-risk sites, we can build scoring-based workflows to auto-flag or block transactions.
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Maintenance & Monitoring: Ongoing support to ensure fraud systems remain updated and aligned with changing threat landscapes.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to fraud prevention. The most effective strategy is layered defense — combining edge protection, application-level safeguards, payment gateway rules, and third-party analytics. With Vardot’s expertise in Drupal Commerce and enterprise-grade infrastructure, we ensure your platform is protected without compromising usability.
If you're interested in a tailored fraud protection setup for your Drupal site, get in touch with our team.
