Be alert for online transactions with several of these characteristics:

• First time shopper:
  Criminals are always looking for new victims.
• Larger-than-normal orders:
  Stolen cards or account numbers have a limited lifespan, so fraudsters need to maximize the size of their purchases.
• Orders consisting of several of the same item:
  Having multiples increases the criminal's profits.
• Orders made up of "big ticket" items:
  The items have maximum resale value.
• Orders shipped "rush" or "overnight":
  Criminals want items as soon as possible for the quickest resale and they're not concerned about extra delivery charges.
• Orders from Internet addresses making use of free e-mail services:
  There's no billing relationship and often no audit trail or verification.
• Orders shipped to an international address:
  A significant number of fraudulent transactions are shipped outside of Canada.
• Shipping address or country different from country of card issuance:
  This could indicate a fraud scheme.
• Transactions on similar account numbers:
  It may suggest that the accounts have been computer generated.
• Orders shipped to a single address but made on multiple cards:
  This could be someone using a batch of stolen cards for purchases.
• Multiple transactions on one card over a very short period of time:
  This could be an attempt to use the card until available credit is exhausted or the account closed.
• Multiple transactions on one card or similar cards with a single billing address, but multiple shipping addresses:
  This could be an organized fraudulent activity.
• Multiple cards used from a single IP (Internet Protocol) address:
  Multiple cards could indicate a fraud scheme.