The fraud rate per order for online merchants in the United States and Canada decreased in 2011 to 0.6% from 0.9% in 2010, according to CyberSource, a subsidiary of payment card network Visa. The 2011 fraud rate represents the lowest rate in the 13-year history of the survey.
But dollar losses grew as criminals stole higher-priced items from e-retailers, the survey found. Those criminals stole an estimated $3.4 billion from U.S. and Canadian e-retailers last year, compared with $2.7 billion in 2010. Merchants on average reported that 1% of online revenue was lost to fraud in 2011, up slightly from 0.9% in 2010. The lower fraud rate per order and the higher estimated losses from fraud means criminals are stealing more expensive items from e-retailers, the report says, adding that consumer electronics and digital goods are prime targets for those online thieves.