Local 12: ‘Friendly fraud’ hurting honest consumers
Lindner professor weighs in on retailers’ reaction to customers’ mischief
Unfortunately, not all consumers possess the best intentions when returning products. And according to a University of Cincinnati information systems professor, the outcome of “friendly fraud” winds up harming sincere shoppers.
A Local 12 report described friendly fraud as consumers “returning damaged or counterfeit goods for money or store credit” or falsely reporting safely delivered packages as lost or damaged.
Andrew Harrison, PhD, associate professor of information systems.
Retailers have responded with both heightened scrutiny and higher prices to combat their customers’ reported transgressions.
“The prices of dishonest consumers’ fraudulent actions are eaten up by honest consumers,” Andrew Harrison, PhD, associate professor of information systems in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, told Local 12. “Returning will actually become harder for honest customers, as well, as companies try to put in more safeguards to insulate themselves from the losses associated with this.”
Featured image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Hoffman Honors Scholar wins world championship
December 18, 2025
Shea Scarborough, a second-year Hoffman Honors Scholar majoring in Marketing and Sports Administration at the Lindner College of Business, has won a world martial arts championship in Lei Tai.
The playbook for lasting corporate-startup partnerships
December 17, 2025
Only 15% of corporate-startup collaborations last, often due to communication challenges and layers of bureaucracy. Here’s how your partnership can beat the odds.
Ohio looks to fast-track wastewater discharge permits
December 16, 2025
Bradford Mank, James B. Helmer Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, spoke with WVXU for a story about a proposal by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to streamline the way wastewater discharge permits are issued to data centers.