What does fraudulent mean in Stripe?
It means Stripe suspects the payment is fraudulent, usually because Stripe Radar scored it as high risk, and declined it.
What happens next
The same decline, handled two ways: a fixed retry ladder, and Stripe Smart Retries with North Metric following up once they end. North Metric never retries a card; its part in failed payment recovery starts when Stripe stops.
THE NEXT 14 DAYS · EXAMPLE✕FAILED RETRYACTIONPAID
Fixed retry ladder · day 1, 3, 5, 7Fails ×4 · risk
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Stripe + North MetricNote · day 14
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What it means
It doesn’t always mean the customer is a fraudster; strict Radar rules can catch real customers too. Stripe returns it as a decline_code inside a card_error, so your integration sees the charge fail and the reason sits in this field.
{
"error": {
"type": "card_error",
"code": "card_declined",
"decline_code": "fraudulent",
"message": "Your card was declined."
}
}Why it happens
•Stripe Radar scored the payment as likely fraud and blocked it.•The card, amount or location matched patterns Radar links to fraud.•A genuine customer can trip it too, for example after a change of card or country.
What to do
01Stop every retryRetrying a lost or stolen card can flag your account with the network.
02Ask for a different cardNeutral wording: never repeat the reason the bank gave.
03Watch for a disputeIf the charge looks fraudulent, refund it before a chargeback lands.
See which customers with a failed payment are at risk, in your own Stripe.Actions off until you turn them onGet your free churn report →
What to tell the customer
Keep it neutral. Don’t mention “lost” or “stolen”; just ask for a new payment method.
What not to do
✕Retry the card, ever.✕Repeat the bank’s reason to the customer.✕Keep the card on file for future invoices.