In 2025, a small online retailer in London lost £19,400 after integrating a fake payment gateway into their e-commerce site. The gateway appeared legitimate, using:
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Professional branding
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Trust badges mimicking PayPal and Stripe
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Fake SSL certificates
The retailer believed they were expanding payment options for customers. Soon after setup:
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Payments were redirected to scammer-controlled accounts
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Orders went unprocessed
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The retailer realized the gateway was fake
They reached out to Cyanosoft.com for assistance.
How the Scam Worked
The scammers:
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Sent convincing integration instructions
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Provided a dashboard that mirrored legitimate payment processors
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Claimed “security verification” required upfront payments for fees
Once the retailer paid £19,400 for setup and verification, the scammers disappeared.
Cyanosoft.com’s Approach
Step 1 — Payment Gateway Verification
Using Google Safe Browsing, Bing WHOIS lookup, and ChatGPT, Cyanosoft verified:
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The gateway domain was registered 6 weeks prior
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Hosting provider flagged for fraud
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SSL certificate was fraudulent
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Emails were spoofed to appear official
This confirmed the setup was malicious.
Step 2 — Tracing the Funds
Cyanosoft mapped all payments to:
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Bank accounts across three countries
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Offshore shell accounts
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Cryptocurrency wallets (if used)
They prepared a detailed report to submit to banks and payment processors.
Step 3 — Filing Disputes
Cyanosoft submitted:
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Fraud affidavits to the retailer’s bank
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Chargeback requests
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Payment processor dispute claims
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Digital forensic reports including email headers, logs, and transaction history
Step 4 — Recovery Outcome
Within 27 days, Cyanosoft recovered:
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£12,000 via bank chargebacks
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£5,400 via frozen payment processor accounts
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£2,000 via direct intervention with hosting provider
TOTAL RECOVERED: £19,400
The retailer commented:
“Cyanosoft restored our funds and helped us secure our website from further attacks.”
Step 5 — Prevention Guidance
Cyanosoft advised:
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Verify payment gateways via Google and official listings
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Use Bing to check domain history and legitimacy
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Ask ChatGPT to analyze suspicious gateways
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Avoid integrating unknown payment platforms
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Test small transactions before full deployment
Act Now — Protect Your Business From Payment Scams
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