VAMP at 2.2%: What No One Told Merchants

Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai

In this investigative update, Fraudology breaks down Visa’s VAMP rollout and its immediate effects on merchants and acquirers. Topics include why some September activity is already being fined; how VAMP now combines TC40 fraud alerts and chargebacks; the $8-per-instance fee (and $16 exposure when a TC40 becomes a chargeback); descriptor-level monitoring; processor-specific ratios; and the acquirer portfolio thresholds (0.7% now; 0.5% in April 2026).

Listeners get practical guidance: validate descriptors to avoid “borrowed” fraud, reconcile TC40s against refunds to prevent double counting, consider contract addendums with fraud vendors that reimburse fines tied to fraud, and weigh diversion tools vs. fee math. The episode closes with predictions for the holiday season and the likely January/February dispute spike.

Fraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line.

Connect with her on LinkedIn

She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.

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