Dispute Evidence Report
8 min read
- View as Markdown Open this page as plain Markdown (opens in a new tab)
- Open in ChatGPT Ask questions about this page (opens in a new tab)
- Open in Claude Ask questions about this page (opens in a new tab)
- Open in Google AI Studio Ask questions about this page (Google account required) (opens in a new tab)
The Dispute Evidence Report is Pro’s print-ready, processor-ready behavioral risk report. When a dispute lands and you’re preparing the response evidence package, the report bundles what TrustLens knows about the customer — an evidence assessment, the prior orders that match the disputed one (including whether they meet Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0), trust score and signals, order history, return analysis vs store average, linked accounts, and the event timeline — into a single document you can save as a PDF and submit to your processor as part of your dispute response. This page covers what’s in the report, when to use it, and how processors use the information.
What’s in the Report #
The report opens as a printable page in a new browser tab. A toolbar at the top (not printed) explains how to save it as a PDF and shows whether the report was registered with the verification service. The report itself has these sections:
Header #
- “TrustLens · Chargeback Evidence Report”
- Your store name
- The date the report was prepared
Assessment #
The headline depends on how you opened the report:
- With a disputed order (opened from the order screen or the worklist): an Evidence assessment — “Compelling evidence: Strong” when 2 or more prior orders meet Visa CE3.0, “Moderate” for 1, “Limited matching evidence” for none — with a one-line statement such as “This customer has placed 9 orders totaling $1,240 since March 2025, 6 of them shipped to the same address as the disputed order, and only this order has been disputed.” Stat tiles show the number of prior orders meeting CE3.0, the number of identifier types matched, the trust score and segment, and the customer’s return rate against your store average.
- Without a disputed order (opened from the customer profile or the Top disputed customers list): a Customer risk assessment — “Risk profile: {segment}” with the trust score and a recommendation: strong representment candidate (score 70+), review before representment (45–69), or representment not advised (below 45). Stat tiles show lifetime orders, lifetime value, trust score, and return rate.
Prior Orders From This Same Customer #
Shown when the report has a disputed order. Lists the customer’s earlier orders that share identifying information with the disputed order — shipping address, billing address, phone, card, IP, device — with each order’s date and total, the shared identifiers, and a CE3.0 badge where it qualifies. TrustLens counts a prior order as meeting Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0 when it shares at least 2 identifiers with the disputed order, was placed 120–365 days before it, and was neither refunded nor itself disputed.
Customer Risk Profile #
- Trust score and segment
- Customer since (month of first order)
- Active risk signals — every signal contributing to the current score, with its human-readable reason and score impact (for example “3 coupon orders refunded (abuse pattern) −25”)
Disputed Order #
Shown when the report has a disputed order: order number, date, total, status, payment method, ship-to address, and line items.
Order History #
Up to the 50 most recent orders in Completed, Processing, On hold, Refunded, or Cancelled status, with date, total, status, and refunded amount.
Return Analysis #
- This customer’s return rate vs your store-wide average
- Total returns and total refund value
- A note with the multiple of the store average (for example “2.4x the store average”) and the split between full and partial refunds
Linked Accounts #
If the customer has linked accounts: how many, and for each one its trust score, segment, whether it’s blocked, and which kinds of identifier it shares (address, phone, card, and any IP or device overlap seen alongside them). Other accounts’ email addresses are not printed. Strong fraud-ring evidence when present; when there are none, the report states that the identity is clean.
Event Timeline #
The 12 most recent events on the customer’s record (with a count of earlier ones), each with date and time — orders counted, refunds with amounts, cancellations, disputes created and closed, blocks and unblocks, and other TrustLens events.
Verification and Footer #
- A Report ID (for example TL-1A2B-3C4D-5E6F) and the report’s SHA-256 fingerprint
- When report verification is on: a verify link at webstepper.io/verify/ and a QR code that opens it
- “Generated {date} by TrustLens · Customer Risk Intelligence for {store}. Identifiers matched as one-way hashes.”
How to Generate #
Four paths, all requiring the manage_woocommerce capability:
From the Disputed Order #
- Open the order in WooCommerce
- In the Customer Trust box (shown while Order Warnings is on in Settings → General), click Dispute Report →
- The report opens in a new tab with that order as the disputed order, including the matched prior orders and CE3.0 assessment
From the Chargeback Monitor #
- Open the Chargeback Monitor page
- In the Open disputes worklist, click Evidence on the dispute — this opens the report for that order
- Or, in the Top disputed customers list, click Evidence → next to a customer — this opens the customer-level report without a disputed order
From the Customer Detail Page #
- Open the customer’s profile
- Click the Dispute Report button — this opens the customer-level report
To get a PDF, click Print Report, choose “Save as PDF” as the destination, set margins to “None”, and turn on “Background graphics”. The report itself isn’t stored on the server. When report verification is on, its fingerprint is registered with the verification service the first time it’s opened; if that service can’t be reached, TrustLens retries automatically.
How Processors Use the Report #
Dispute adjudicators at card networks and processors evaluate evidence on three axes:
- Did the merchant deliver what was ordered? Standard evidence: tracking, signed delivery, etc.
- Does the customer’s claim hold up? Standard evidence: communications, refund policy, etc.
- Is there a pattern of bad-faith disputes? This is where the Dispute Evidence Report shines.
A customer’s behavioral history isn’t standard evidence — most merchants can’t provide it. Visa’s Compelling Evidence 3.0 rules formalize part of it for fraud disputes: prior undisputed transactions from the same cardholder that share identifying information with the disputed one. The report’s prior-orders section identifies which of your orders qualify.
For friendly-fraud disputes specifically (where the customer received the product and is claiming otherwise), behavioral history is the most compelling evidence available.
When to Use the Report #
Generate a Dispute Evidence Report for:
- Every fraud-reason dispute where prior orders match. Open it from the order so the CE3.0 assessment is included.
- Every friendly-fraud dispute on a Caution/Risk/Critical customer. Their behavioral pattern is the strongest argument.
- Disputes where the customer has prior disputes or refunds. Pattern evidence.
- Disputes connected to known fraud rings. The linked-accounts section is decisive.
- High-value disputes. The marginal effort is worth it for larger amounts.
Reports may not be necessary for low-value disputes or for clear product-issue disputes (where standard tracking/communication evidence handles the case). Save effort for cases where behavioral pattern matters.
Submitting the Report #
Each gateway has its own dispute response workflow. Generally:
- Stripe: Attach the PDF in the Stripe Dashboard’s Dispute Evidence section
- WooPayments: Similar to Stripe, via the WooPayments dashboard
- PayPal: Upload in PayPal’s Resolution Center
- Other gateways: Follow your gateway’s evidence-submission process
Submit the Dispute Evidence Report alongside (not instead of) standard evidence — tracking, communications, refund policy. The behavioral report is supplementary, not replacement.
Tone and Wording #
The report is written in factual, neutral language. It says “This customer’s return rate is 2.4x the store average” rather than “This customer is a fraudster.” Every signal is shown with its reason and score impact, so a reviewer can see where the numbers come from.
Don’t edit the report before submitting — its authority comes from being a generated document, and the Report ID and fingerprint let an issuer confirm that it hasn’t been changed. If you need to add narrative, attach a separate cover letter.
Privacy in the Report #
The report identifies the customer through the disputed order — its ship-to address and line items — and through their order history. It doesn’t print the customer’s email address, and linked accounts appear only as score, segment, and the kinds of identifier they share. Identifiers are matched as one-way hashes. The report is intended for submission to your processor — not for sharing externally.
Reports aren’t stored, so there is nothing to export or erase afterwards; the underlying order, signal, and event data is covered by TrustLens’s privacy export and erasure tools. Report verification (on by default; Chargeback Monitor → Chargeback settings) sends the report’s fingerprint, the order number, your site URL, and the report’s risk figures to webstepper.io — never customer data.
Win-Rate Impact #
Dispute win rates vary widely by industry, reason code, and store. Anecdotal data from Pro users: incorporating Dispute Evidence Reports into responses on behavioral-pattern-relevant cases improves win rates substantially for friendly-fraud and pattern-of-abuse claims. The mechanism: the report provides evidence adjudicators rarely see, shifting the burden of proof back toward the cardholder.
For cases where the dispute is legitimate (genuine product issue, fraud claim with no behavioral red flags), the report doesn’t help — and shouldn’t. The point isn’t to win every dispute; it’s to win the right ones.
Updated on October 18, 2026