Fraud
F30 EMV Liability Shift – Counterfeit
Details
American Express reason code F30 applies when a counterfeit card was used for a transaction at a terminal that was not EMV chip-enabled. Due to the EMV liability shift, merchants without compliant chip-reading technology may be held financially responsible for counterfeit fraud.
This dispute type typically occurs when a magnetic stripe card is swiped instead of read via chip, and later determined to be counterfeit. If the merchant’s terminal wasn’t EMV-capable—or if the chip was bypassed—liability for the chargeback may fall to the merchant.
Timing to raise the dispute (Issuer/Cardholder)
Timing to respond to the dispute (Acquirer/Merchant)
How to respond?
If the transaction was processed correctly or the card wasn’t counterfeit, provide supporting evidence:
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Submit terminal logs or transaction records showing chip usage or fallback procedures
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Include any documentation that confirms card-present verification or approval
How to prevent?
Use EMV-compliant terminals to protect against counterfeit card liability:
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Upgrade all POS devices to support chip transactions and avoid fallback when possible
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Train staff to recognize chip-enabled cards and follow EMV processing best practices