Protection Modes

Comprehensive guide to Off, Block, Hold, and Warn protection modes in Veridis Fraud Guard.

Veridis Fraud Guard Free offers four distinct operational modes to match your store’s risk tolerance and order fulfillment model.

Mode	Checkout Result	Cash on Delivery (COD)	Non-COD Payment	Activity Log
Off	Uninterrupted	Processes normally	Processes normally	Not logged
Warn	Uninterrupted	Processes normally	Processes normally	Logged with private note
Hold	Completed	Placed on hold (`wc-on-hold`)	Processed normally with note	Logged with private note
Block	Halted with notice	Blocked at checkout	Blocked at checkout	Logged in Activity

1. Block mode

Block mode is designed for stores dealing with persistent abusive checkout attempts or buyers who should not be permitted to place orders under any circumstances.

How it works:

When a customer clicks Place order (or completes checkout in Checkout Blocks), Fraud Guard evaluates their email, phone, IP, and email domain against active blocklist entries.
If a match is found, order creation is prevented immediately.
The checkout process displays a standard WooCommerce error notice containing your configured block notice.
No order record is created in WooCommerce, preventing inventory reservation and payment gateway authorization attempts.
The attempt is recorded in Fraud Guard → Activity with the matched identifier and timestamp.

2. Hold mode (Cash on Delivery protection)

Hold mode provides specialized protection for eCommerce stores that offer Cash on Delivery (COD), especially in markets where uncollected or refused parcels result in substantial return shipping losses.

How it works:

For Cash on Delivery orders:

When an order matches a blocklist rule and uses the native WooCommerce COD payment gateway (cod), the order is created but automatically assigned the On hold status (wc-on-hold).
This prevents automated warehouse fulfillment or label generation systems from shipping the parcel.
A private order note is attached stating that the order matched a blocklist rule and was placed on hold for merchant review.
Store staff can contact the buyer by phone to confirm order legitimacy before manually changing the status to Processing.

For non-COD orders (Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Transfer, etc.):

If the matching customer pays with a prepaid gateway (credit card, digital wallet), the payment processes normally, and the order status is not changed by Fraud Guard.
A private internal order note is added to alert staff that the buyer matched a blocklist rule, without interrupting the customer’s successful purchase.

Why Hold mode differentiates COD

For prepaid orders, the merchant has already secured payment, so the financial risk of an uncollected parcel is largely mitigated. For Cash on Delivery, the merchant bears the complete financial cost of two-way courier shipping if the recipient refuses the parcel. Hold mode protects COD cashflow without needlessly blocking prepaid sales.

3. Warn mode

Warn mode is an observational, non-intrusive mode ideal for testing and initial merchant onboarding.

How it works:

All checkouts complete normally regardless of matches.
Customer checkout flow is never interrupted, and no customer notices are shown.
When an identifier matches an active rule:
- The match is logged in Fraud Guard → Activity.
- A private internal order note is added to the order: “Veridis Fraud Guard: Matched blocklist rule (Warn mode).”
Store managers can monitor activity history for several days to evaluate blocklist accuracy before enforcing stricter policies.

4. Off mode

Off mode completely suspends checkout evaluation.

How it works:

No hook listeners execute during checkout.
No matching queries are run against the database.
Existing blocklist entries, historical activity records, and plugin settings remain securely preserved in your database.
Use Off mode during staging deployments, plugin conflict troubleshooting, or general site maintenance.