Scheme fraud codes
Last updated: March 19, 2025
You may receive the following fraud codes when processing transactions from the card schemes:
| Code | Reason | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Card reported lost | A fraudulent payment made using a lost card, without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Stolen | A fraudulent payment made using a stolen card, without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Not received as issued (NRI) | The card was intercepted before the cardholder received it and used without their actual, implied, or apparent authority. |
| Fraudulent application | A fraudulent payment made using a card that was obtained with an application containing a false name or other false identification information. |
| Issuer counterfeit | A fraudulent payment made using an altered or illegally-reproduced card. |
| Miscellaneous | Any type of fraud that is not listed under codes 0 – 4, or 6 and 9. |
| Fraudulent use of account number | A fraudulent payment made using false card or account information, without the physical card or other device being involved, via the phone, mail, Internet, or other electronic means without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Acquirer counterfeit | A fraud arising out of collusion between a merchant and the acquirer without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Incorrect processing | The issuer confirms a payment is fraudulent on a Visa account as a result of incorrect processing. For example, fraud on a VbV payment that was incorrectly identified as a secure ecommerce payment due to incorrect CAVV. |
| Account or credentials takeover | The issuer confirms a payment is fraudulent on a Visa account due to a fraudster taking over the account or its credentials. |
| Code | Reason | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Card reported lost | A fraudulent payment made using a lost card, without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Stolen | A fraudulent payment made using a stolen card, without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Never received issue | The card was intercepted before the cardholder received it and used without their actual, implied, or apparent authority. |
| Fraudulent application | A fraudulent payment made using a card that was obtained with an application containing a false name or other false identification information. |
| Counterfeit card fraud | A fraudulent payment made using an altered or illegally-reproduced card. |
| Account takeover fraud | A fraudulent payment made on a Mastercard account due to a fraudster taking over the account. |
| Card not present fraud | A fraudulent payment made without the physical card or other device being involved, via the phone, mail, Internet, or other electronic means without the actual, implied, or apparent authority of the cardholder. |
| Multiple imprint fraud | A fraudster uses a manual credit card terminal to record multiple impressions of the same card for a single transaction, charging the cardholder multiple times for the same purchase. |
| Acquirer fraud | A fraudulent payment where the merchant deliberately deceives the acquirer, often using a fake or high-risk business. |