How to Stop Losing Money to Friendly Fraud

Friendly fraud is one of the most frustrating challenges for business owners—and despite its name, there’s nothing “friendly” about it. In this episode, Maria Sparagis breaks down what friendly fraud is, why it happens, and how you can protect your business from rising chargebacks.

With Visa estimating chargebacks will rise by 42% in 2026, business owners need to understand the real costs of disputes: lost sales, product costs, service hours, and even the risk of losing your payment processor entirely.

👉 In this video, you’ll learn:

- The difference between friendly fraud vs. criminal fraud

- Why chargebacks are increasing across industries

- The hidden risks for “high-risk” businesses like supplements, coaching, and digital products

- Practical prevention strategies (clear checkout pages, billing descriptors, receipts, cancellation links, and more)

- How to handle disputes strategically and avoid getting match-listed

- Why choosing the right payment processing partner is critical for survival

If you’re dealing with chargebacks or worried about losing your merchant account, this episode will give you actionable tools and insider knowledge to protect your profits.

💡 Need help setting up chargeback alerts or a backup payment processor? Contact Maria and her team at DirectPayNet for expert support. maria@directpaynet.com

👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss future episodes on payment processing, fraud prevention, and growing your online business.

0:00 Chargeback Statistics

2:17 What Is Friendly Fraud?

4:37 Why Fraud Tools WON’T Target Friendly Fraud

6:43 Consequences of Friendly Fraud

8:37 How to Prevent Friendly Fraud

14:30 Fighting the Dispute

17:22 Choosing the Right Provider