Eight detection signals
Email match, email alias on another domain, matching last name, matching shipping address, same IP address, same browser, shared IP volume and high referral volume.
Referral fraud prevention that holds suspicious rewards for review
When a referred purchase trips a signal, BLOOP holds the reward for 14 days, tags the order in Shopify as BLOOP suspicious referral and opens a case. Genuine referrals pass through untouched.
What it is
Fraud Center, explained
The most common referral abuse is self-referral: one person acting as both referrer and referee. The Fraud Center watches for the patterns that leaves behind: the same IP, browser, shipping address, last name or email alias, plus unusual volume from one referrer or one shared IP.
Each signal is on by default and can be switched off store-wide, except the same-IP and same-browser signals, which only run while the matching prevention check is on. The self-referral signals are the strong ones. Shared IP and high volume are weaker, since a household or a viral advocate can trip them honestly, so you judge each case on its evidence. Two optional prevention checks block the discount before an order is placed.
For your customers
How it works on your store
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01
A referred order is placed
BLOOP compares the referrer and purchaser against the signals you have switched on.
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02
A signal trips
The reward is held for 14 days, the order gets the BLOOP suspicious referral tag in Shopify and a case opens.
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03
You review the evidence
The case shows the flagged purchases, the signal type, the incentives at stake and the days left.
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04
You approve or reject in Referral orders
Either decision closes the case and is logged in fraud history.
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05
If nobody acts
When the hold runs out, the reward is approved, unless the referrer is banned, the order was cancelled or refunded, or the campaign was turned off.
For you
Set it up in BLOOP
Steps follow the BLOOP user guide. Most stores finish setup in about 30 minutes.
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01. Open Detection rules
In the Fraud Center, open Detection rules to see each signal. Each is on by default and can be switched off for the whole store, except the same-IP and same-browser signals, which follow the Fraud Prevention checks.
Read the guide → -
02. Tune the volume signals
Set the number of referred purchases and the look-back period in days for the shared-IP and high-volume signals. The defaults are five purchases from one IP within 30 days and seven purchases in 7 days.
Read the guide → -
03. Decide on the prevention checks
Under Fraud Prevention, optionally turn on the IP address check and the Browser check. Both are off by default and stop the discount being claimed at all.
Read the guide → -
04. Work the queue
Sort cases by days left, open the referrer and follow the link to each order in Shopify.
Read the guide → -
05. Approve or reject in Referral orders
Rejecting confirms fraud. Approving records the referral as legitimate.
Read the guide →
Options you control
Make it fit your store
Automatic rejection
When the purchaser's email is the referrer's own address (ignoring case, +tag aliases and Gmail dots), the referral is rejected straight away instead of held.
Ban
Ends a referrer's participation. It is irreversible: their link and code stop working and pending rewards are never sent.
Exclude from detection
Turn off checks for one genuine customer who keeps tripping a signal, instead of banning them.
Fraud history
A searchable log of each decision, who made it and the signal behind it.
Guides
Go deeper
FAQ
Fraud Center: common questions
Does it block real customers?
The signals hold a reward for review and do not block the order, so a flagged genuine referral can still be approved. The two optional prevention checks are blunter: the IP check can block a real referral between two people on the same network, so weigh it against your audience.
Is fraud prevention on the free plan?
The App Store listing lists fraud prevention as included in the Free plan, which allows 10 referral orders and 10 affiliate orders. Premium ($59.90 per month) removes the order limits.
What if I forget to review a case?
The 14-day hold expires into an approval, so a flag nobody reads protects nothing. Sort the queue by days left to see which cases are about to become paid rewards.
Does it cover affiliate fraud?
This page covers the referral Fraud Center. For affiliates, BLOOP sets sales that match the affiliate's own email to pending with a self-referral note so you can review them before approving.
More referral program features
Pairs well with
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