6 Pre-Built Shopify Flow Templates for Return Fraud Prevention
RefundSentry has supported Shopify Flow triggers since launch. Merchants could build automations based on high-risk returns, blocklisted customers, and scoring events. The problem: building a workflow from scratch requires knowing what automations are worth building in the first place.
Most merchants aren't fraud analysts. They don't intuitively know that tagging high-risk orders for review, alerting Slack on blocklisted customer purchases, or auto-tagging repeat returners are high-value automations. They need a starting point.
Today we're shipping 6 pre-built Flow templates that encode proven anti-fraud patterns. Each one installs with a single click from Shopify's Flow template library.
Why Templates Matter
Shopify Flow is powerful, but the blank canvas problem is real. When you open Flow and see "Create workflow," the question is always: what workflow?
Templates solve three problems at once:
1. Faster time-to-value. A merchant who installs RefundSentry at 2pm can have automated fraud workflows running by 2:05pm. No configuration, no guesswork.
2. Best practices encoded. These templates represent patterns we've seen work across hundreds of stores. The tag names, trigger conditions, and action choices are battle-tested.
3. Discoverability. Templates appear in Shopify's Flow template library. When a merchant searches "fraud," "returns," or "risk" in Flow, RefundSentry templates surface alongside native Shopify ones. That's distribution you can't buy with ads.
The 6 Templates
1. Hold High-Risk Returns for Review
Trigger: high-risk-return
Action: Add order tag "REVIEW-NEEDED"
The most fundamental fraud workflow. When RefundSentry scores a return as high-risk, this template tags the order so your fulfillment team knows to pause and review before processing the refund.
Use this if your team processes refunds from the Shopify orders list — the tag makes risky returns visually distinct and filterable.
2. Alert Team on Blocklisted Customer Orders
Trigger: blocklisted-customer-order
Action: Send internal email notification
When a customer you've previously blocklisted places a new order, your team gets an immediate email alert. This is your early warning system for known abusers attempting to order again.
Pair this with the fulfillment hold template for a two-layer defense: your team is notified AND the order is flagged.
3. Tag Customers After High-Risk Returns
Trigger: high-risk-return
Action: Add customer tag "HIGH-RISK-RETURNER"
RefundSentry already auto-tags customers with risk tiers (refundsentry:high-risk). This template adds a supplementary tag that's more descriptive for teams who filter customer lists by tag. The tag persists on the customer profile, making it easy to segment high-risk customers for marketing exclusions or manual review queues.
4. Notify Slack on High-Risk Returns
Trigger: high-risk-return
Action: Send Slack message
For teams that live in Slack, this template posts a message to your chosen channel whenever a high-risk return is detected. The message includes the order number, customer name, risk score, and top signal — enough context to decide whether immediate action is needed without leaving Slack.
5. Flag Repeat Returner Orders
Trigger: high-risk-customer-order
Action: Add order tag "REPEAT-RETURNER"
Different from template #1, this triggers on new orders from customers who already have a high-risk profile — before they even file a return. When a known serial returner places an order, the tag appears immediately so your team can add extra scrutiny to the fulfillment.
This is proactive fraud prevention: you're not waiting for the return to happen.
6. Hold Blocklisted Customer Orders
Trigger: blocklisted-customer-order
Action: Add order tag "HOLD"
The strictest template. When a blocklisted customer places an order, it's immediately tagged "HOLD." Combined with your fulfillment workflow (most teams filter out HOLD-tagged orders from auto-fulfillment), this effectively pauses the order for manual review.
Use this for customers you've confirmed as abusive. The blocklist + hold combination ensures you never accidentally ship to a known bad actor.
How to Install
- Open Shopify Admin > Flow > Templates
- Search for "RefundSentry"
- Click the template you want
- Click "Install"
- The workflow is live immediately
No configuration needed for the basic versions. Each template is fully editable after installation — change the tag names, swap email for Slack, adjust conditions, or add additional steps.
Combining Templates
The real power comes from layering templates together. Here are three combinations we recommend:
The Standard Stack (Most Merchants)
- Template #1 (Hold high-risk returns) + Template #4 (Slack notifications)
- Result: Every high-risk return gets tagged for review AND your team gets a Slack ping
The Proactive Stack (High-Volume Stores)
- Template #5 (Flag repeat returner orders) + Template #2 (Alert on blocklisted orders) + Template #6 (Hold blocklisted orders)
- Result: Known risky customers are flagged at order creation, before they even file a return
The Full Defense Stack
All 6 templates running simultaneously. High-risk returns are tagged and Slacked. Repeat returners are flagged on new orders. Blocklisted customers trigger email alerts and order holds. Your team has visibility at every stage.
Customization Ideas
Templates are starting points. Here's how merchants commonly customize them:
Change tag names to match your existing workflow. If your team already filters by "FRAUD-REVIEW" instead of "REVIEW-NEEDED," just edit the tag action.
Add conditions to narrow the trigger. For example, only notify Slack for returns above $100, or only hold orders from blocklisted customers who have placed more than 3 orders.
Chain additional actions. After tagging an order, also send an email to your fraud team lead, create a task in your project management tool, or update a Google Sheet.
Route by risk tier. Create two versions of a template: one for HIGH-risk returns (Slack + tag + hold) and one for MEDIUM-risk returns (tag only). This prevents alert fatigue while still capturing medium-risk signals.
For Existing Flow Users
If you've already built RefundSentry workflows manually, these templates won't conflict with your existing automations. Flow handles duplicate actions gracefully — if an order is already tagged "REVIEW-NEEDED" by your custom workflow, the template action is a no-op.
That said, you may want to audit your existing workflows against these templates to avoid redundant notifications (nobody wants two Slack messages for the same event).
Getting Started
The 6 Flow templates are available now for all RefundSentry Pro merchants at $29/month. They work with any Shopify plan that supports Shopify Flow (Basic and above).
Search "RefundSentry" in your Flow template library to find and install them. Your first automated fraud response workflow can be running in under a minute.
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