Nearly one in three victims of identity fraud chose to avoid specific merchants after falling victim to fraud, according to the 5th Annual LexisNexis True Cause of Fraud study, which found that between 10 and 14 million U.S. consumers are victims of identity fraud every year.
According to the study, merchants not only incur the amount of charge-backs for which their company is held liable after a fraud incident, but they must also pay fees and interest to financial institutions and pay to replace or redistribute lost or stolen merchandise.
Merchants are paying more per dollar of fraud than in 2012, the most since 2010 – they incur a $279 loss for every $100 of fraud losses. The increase is in part attributed to the growth in fraud activity through online channels, which is already the most expensive channel due to fees and interest costs, as well as charge-backs and other replacement costs, CNBC reports.