ALTERTRACE FOR ECOMMERCE / CLAIM VERIFICATION
A damage photo does not always tell the truth.
When a customer submits a photo of an allegedly damaged product, a small retailer often has to choose between trust and suspicion. AlterTrace examines the material through six independent layers to bring you closer to the most likely explanation and support a more defensible decision.
€4.90 per case · up to 5 images + 2 follow-ups · no subscriptionThis problem is not limited to the largest marketplaces.
of online sales projected to be returned
The 2025 estimate for US online retail illustrates the volume of decisions made after a purchase.
NRF, 2025 Retail Returns Landscape ↗of all returns found to be fraudulent
This is a figure for the surveyed market, not a ready-made forecast for an individual shop.
NRF, 2025 Retail Returns Landscape ↗used generative AI when making return claims
Using AI to draft a claim is not itself fraud, but it shows how quickly AI has entered returns and refunds.
Riskified / eTail Insights, 2026 ↗NRF figures refer to the US market. The Riskified study surveyed 2,091 consumers across seven countries. We use them to illustrate a broader trend, not to claim that every ecommerce business has the same rates.
Trust a loyal customer or question a photograph that looks almost absurd?
It is one of the hardest post-purchase decisions. The customer's history is spotless and the message sounds credible, yet the image contains illogical shadows, an unnatural material texture or damage that appears incompatible with the product. Rejecting a genuine claim can destroy trust. Automatically approving every case teaches abusers that evidence is never checked.
A loyal customer, an implausible file
Loyalty matters, but it cannot authenticate a particular file. The image may have been deliberately edited, automatically enhanced by an app or damaged by repeated compression. The material should be assessed without judging the person.
A new account, a convincing photograph
An image can look natural while containing a locally added scratch, stain, crack or missing part. Modern generative editing does not need to create an entire scene from nothing.
Several images that tell different stories
Damage changes shape, position or scale between views. Comparing files within one case is more useful than guessing from one frame and allows the merchant to request a precise follow-up.
Time pressure and support cost
In a small shop, the owner often handles claims personally. Without a fraud team, the easiest choice is a refund for the sake of peace, even when the evidence creates reasonable doubt.
One poor decision feels small. Repeated every month, it becomes a real cost.
There is no honest loss percentage that fits every shop. The calculations below are transparent scenarios, not market forecasts. They simply show how refunds approved without sufficient verification can accumulate.
Small shop
- 300 orders per month
- average order value: €52
- 2 unjustified approvals per month
Growing shop
- 600 orders per month
- average order value: €66
- 4 unjustified approvals per month
These examples include product value only. They exclude shipping, handling, payment fees, lost margin, staff time and products that cannot return to stock. They also do not assume that every suspicious claim is fraudulent.
We do not make the decision for you. We give you more evidence to make it.
AlterTrace supports the verification of images used in claims, returns and post-purchase disputes. It combines file provenance, metadata and image-structure analysis with independent commercial detectors. The findings are consolidated into one report instead of being scattered across incompatible dashboards.
Up to 5 images in the first analysis
Review the customer's complete evidence rather than a hand-picked frame. Cross-image comparison can reveal inconsistencies within the same case.
2 follow-up images at no extra cost
If questions remain, ask for two precisely defined new views and add them to the same case within seven days.
Six signal layers
AlterTrace forensics and five external services assess AI generation, local manipulation, deepfakes, metadata, compression and image microstructure.
Readable result and PDF report
Receive a risk scale, explanations of detected signals and a document suitable for the internal claim file.
No account or subscription
No phone number or email address is required. Pay only when a case genuinely requires additional verification.
Automatic seven-day deletion
The follow-up window remains open for seven days. Case materials and results are then removed automatically under the retention policy.
From a customer photo to a calmer decision.
Preserve the original files
Ask for original-quality photos without messaging apps, filters or repeated saving. Originals normally contain more useful forensic information than screenshots.
Upload up to 5 views
Include a wide shot, close-ups, a label or serial number and views of the same area from different angles.
Read the result as risk
Review the overall verdict, individual layers and anomalies. High risk is a reason for further verification, not an automatic accusation.
Take proportionate action
Approve the claim, request the product back, ask further questions or request two new, specifically framed photographs.
No detector can guarantee the truth in every case.
We do not promise certainty. We can substantially reduce guesswork and bring a merchant closer to the most probable explanation.
- AlterTrace indicates probability and anomalies. It does not establish customer guilt or replace physical inspection.
- New generators, local edits, screenshots and heavy compression can obscure or remove useful signals.
- A low risk score is not proof of authenticity, while a high score should not be the sole basis for rejecting a claim.
- The PDF documents a technical result; it is not an expert-witness opinion or legally binding certificate.
- The strongest decisions combine image analysis with order history, communication, product return inspection and human judgement.
AI image detection for ecommerce and authenticity analysis of claim photographs
Fake ecommerce claims do not always use a fully generated image. A more likely challenge is local manipulation of a damage photo: an added scratch, stain, crack, tear, leak or missing component. Effective verification should therefore go beyond asking whether an image was made by AI. It can include EXIF and XMP metadata, JPEG or PNG structure, compression traces, generator signatures and local pixel anomalies.
AlterTrace works as an AI image detector for ecommerce, an image-manipulation checker and a decision-support tool for photo-based return claims. It assesses whether damage evidence may have been generated, edited or recompressed in a way that limits verification. One report combines multiple independent signals, removing the need to operate several systems or interpret conflicting percentages without context.
Image verification is not only about stopping refund fraud. It can also protect honest customers. When a photo looks unusual but the analysis finds no material manipulation signals, a merchant gains an additional reason not to reject genuine evidence merely because it appears strange. The aim is proportionate, documented decision-making, not automatic suspicion.
The service is designed for small and medium online shops, marketplaces and merchants selling fashion, electronics, cosmetics, homeware, automotive parts and other goods where photography plays an important role in a damage claim. A case includes up to five initial images and two follow-ups, results are usually available in under 60 seconds and the PDF can be stored with internal claim documentation.
Common questions about claim-image verification
01Can an AlterTrace result justify rejecting a claim?+
It should not be the sole basis. The report indicates risk and technical signals that may justify asking for more photographs, requesting the product back or carrying out a closer review.
02Can you guarantee that an image was generated by AI?+
No. No detector can guarantee that for every image. We combine several methods to increase the available evidence and reduce reliance on one model.
03Why analyse several photographs of the same damage?+
Comparing views can reveal changes in shape, location, scale or surroundings. One convincing frame does not prove that the complete story is consistent.
04What if the customer only sent a screenshot?+
It can still be analysed, but screenshots usually lack full metadata and add compression. Request the original camera or phone file whenever possible.
05Should a loyal customer be treated as suspicious?+
No. The analysis evaluates the file, not the customer's character. Relationship history remains relevant, while an unusual image can be checked without making an accusation.
06How many images are included?+
Up to 5 images in the first analysis and 2 follow-up images in the same case within seven days, without another payment.
07Do I need a business account?+
No. The service works without an account, subscription, phone number or email address.
08How long are claim images retained?+
Case materials, results and technical records are automatically deleted after seven days, leaving time for follow-up images.
Sources and data methodology
Industry figures come from external reports. Loss scenarios on this page are mathematical examples with every assumption disclosed.
ALTERTRACE / ECOMMERCE