SamaPay Shield: Risk & Fraud Detection
SamaPay Shield is our built-in protection engine that automatically assesses every transaction for risk before it is processed. It uses advanced velocity checks, value-limit identification, and merchant-history analysis to safeguard your funds.
How it Works
Shield operates as a pre-processing layer. When a payment is initiated, it evaluates the following criteria:
1. Velocity Checks
Shield tracks the frequency of transactions from specific IPs and customer identifiers. Rapid-fire transactions (e.g., 5 within 10 minutes) trigger an automatic block to prevent card-testing or bot-driven fraud.
2. Transaction Value Limits
Each merchant has set limits based on their industry and history. Single transactions exceeding these limits are flagged for review or blocked.
- Default Limit: $1,000 per transaction for new merchants.
- Total Daily Limit: $5,000.
3. Merchant Age & Health
New accounts are subjected to stricter monitoring. As your account matures and maintains a low dispute rate, Shield automatically relaxes certain constraints.
Response Codes
When Shield blocks a transaction, the API returns a 403 Forbidden response with a specific shield_block reason:
| Reason Code | Description |
|---|---|
VELOCITY_LIMIT_EXCEEDED | Too many transactions in a short window. |
HIGH_VALUE_TRANSACTION | The single transaction amount exceeds the account limit. |
RISK_THRESHOLD_REACHED | Cumulative daily volume exceeds the safety threshold. |
UNAUTHORIZED_REGION | Transaction originating from a restricted geographical area. |
Managing Blocks
If a legitimate transaction is blocked:
- Developer Dashboard: Logs provide detailed "Shield Insights" for every blocked attempt.
- Whitelisting: You can whitelist specific IP addresses or customer IDs via the Dashboard.
- Limit Increases: You can request higher transaction limits as your volume grows.
SamaPay Shield is active on all accounts by default. No additional integration is required.