How to cut fake COD orders and returns

Most customers in Bangladesh want to pay cash on delivery, and that is also where fake orders and returns come from: an order placed on a whim, a wrong number, a phone switched off when the rider calls. Every parcel that comes back costs you the courier charge and the packing, and the stock spent those days on the road instead of on your shelf.

AI Sooq deals with this before the parcel leaves, not after it comes back.

Why do fake COD orders happen?

Because a COD order costs the customer nothing to place. A message in the inbox with a name and an address is enough — so an impulse order, a prank order and an order with a wrong address all look like a real one until the rider is at the door.

How does COD confirmation work?

Switch it on at Settings → Delivery → COD confirmation. When a COD order comes in, the customer gets a link by WhatsApp or SMS and confirms the order themselves. An order nobody confirms is one you have not spent a courier booking on.

Can I ask for an advance on risky orders?

Yes. In the same place you can ask risky orders for an advance before you ship. It is off until you switch it on, so you decide when it applies.

How do I know which orders are risky?

• COD risk check — under Customers → COD risk check, look a customer up before you commit to the parcel.
• Return-risk (RTO) prediction — under Settings → Delivery, AI Sooq points out which orders are likely to come back.
• Fraud screening — orders worth a second look are flagged before they ship, so you can call first.

Do wrong addresses cause returns too?

They do. When an order comes in from a chat, AI reads the name, address, product and quantity and cleans up the address, and duplicate orders get caught early — so fewer parcels go to the wrong place.

What about the returns that still happen?

Returns, refunds and exchanges run as one workflow (RMA). And when the courier pays out the COD money, upload the payout statement under Orders → COD remittance and it is matched to your orders — see the COD reconciliation guide.

Does this work with my WooCommerce shop?

Yes. The AI Sooq Connector plugin adds fraud screening at WooCommerce checkout. How to connect it is in moving from Shopify or WooCommerce.

Where to start

1. 1Turn on COD confirmation (Settings → Delivery → COD confirmation).
2. 2Decide whether risky orders should pay an advance.
3. 3When an order feels off, check the customer's COD risk before you book.
4. 4Match each courier payout under Orders → COD remittance.

You can start with a free trial and no card — see the plans and prices, or ask us on WhatsApp.