How Do I Handle Fake Orders in My Online Store?
Confirm every risky order with the customer in chat before you pack it, and hold the ones nobody confirms. Most fake orders are cash on delivery orders with a made-up name, a wrong number or an address that does not exist. When one comes in, AeroChat sends the customer a WhatsApp message with the order details and Confirm and Cancel buttons. A real buyer taps Confirm, and the order goes to packing. A fake order gets no reply, or a cancel, and it never ships.
Why fake orders happen
Sellers who offer cash on delivery describe the same problem. Some orders are pranks, some come from competitors, some are impulse buys the customer forgets about, and some are typos in the phone number or address. They all look like normal orders at checkout. The seller only finds out when the courier brings the parcel back, after paying shipping both ways and holding the stock for a week or two.
Signs that an order needs a check: cash on delivery, a first-time customer, a high order value, an unusual quantity, a phone number that does not match the country, or several orders from the same address in a short time.
The usual fixes and their limits
- Call every COD customer. It catches most fakes. It also takes hours on a busy day, and calls go unanswered.
- Block COD above a set value, or for some areas. It cuts the risk and also cuts real sales from buyers who only pay on delivery.
- Ask for a deposit or the shipping fee up front. Fake orders stop. Some genuine buyers leave too.
- A blocklist of phone numbers and addresses. Useful for repeat offenders. It does nothing for a new fake order.
On marketplaces, the platform’s own rules apply to orders and cancellations. For example, as of November 2026, Shopee’s Seller Education Hub (Singapore, page dated 1 September 2026) lists “request for buyers to cancel orders” as a violation that earns penalty points. Do not ask a marketplace buyer in chat to cancel an order. Use the marketplace’s own cancellation and dispute process.
How to handle it in chat with AeroChat
For orders from your own store, a new order reaches AeroChat by webhook from your store. AeroChat checks the order against the rules you set, such as COD and over US$80 (example), or a first order. If it matches and the customer opted in to WhatsApp order messages, AeroChat sends your approved confirmation template. A tap on Confirm tags the order for packing. A tap on Cancel cancels it. No reply within 24 hours (example) leaves the order on hold for your team. If the customer replies with a corrected address or number, AeroChat updates the order and confirms it.
AeroChat: Hi Dina, we received order #5520: 2 x Ceramic dinner set, US$118 cash on delivery, to 42 Hill Street (example). Please confirm so we can ship it. [Confirm] [Cancel]
Customer: I didn’t place any order??
AeroChat: Thank you for telling us. I have canceled order #5520, and nothing will be sent to you.
In the store: order #5520 is canceled and tagged “Not placed by customer” for your review.
Copy this into AeroChat
When a new order is created in our store, follow these steps.
- If the order is cash on delivery and over US$80, or it is the customer’s first order (example), continue. Otherwise stop.
- If the customer did not opt in to WhatsApp order messages, tag the order “Call to confirm” and stop.
- Send our approved template order_confirm (example) with the order number, items, total and address, and the buttons Confirm and Cancel.
- If they tap Confirm, tag the order “Confirmed” and thank them.
- If they tap Cancel or say they did not place it, cancel the order and tag it “Not placed by customer”.
- If they correct the address or phone number, update the order and read it back to them.
- If there is no reply after 24 hours, tag the order “No reply” for our team.
Never mark an order confirmed unless the customer confirmed it. Reply in the customer’s language.
Set your own value threshold, tag names and template name before you paste it.
What to connect
- Your store. Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix are built in. The new-order webhook, tags and cancellations run through your store’s API in the workflow you describe.
- Your WhatsApp Business number. Connect it with embedded signup and get your confirmation template approved by Meta. See WhatsApp message templates.
- Payments. To ask for a deposit on risky orders, Airwallex is built in for payment links. Payment is detected automatically, so the customer never has to type “paid”.
Questions
Can I ask for a deposit instead of cash on delivery?
Yes. Add a step: for orders over your limit, send a payment link for the deposit, and confirm the order when the payment comes through.
Is there a ready-made confirmation message?
Yes. See the cash on delivery confirmation template and the WhatsApp COD confirmation workflow.
Does this work for Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop orders?
Marketplace orders and cancellations stay in each marketplace and follow its rules. AeroChat answers marketplace buyers’ questions in their chat. The confirmation flow on this page is for orders from your own store and chat sales.
How does this connect to failed deliveries?
Fake orders are one cause of parcels coming back. See reducing failed cash on delivery orders and return to origin (RTO).
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
Ship only orders a real customer confirmed
Connect your store and WhatsApp, set your rules for risky orders, and place a test COD order with your own number.
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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.