Visa has introduced important changes to how fraud and dispute activity is monitored with the launch of the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), effective April 1, 2025. This program replaces the previous Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP) and Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP) with a unified framework designed to provide clearer, consolidated oversight and to address modern fraud threats like enumeration attacks, which can artificially inflate fraud ratios by flooding systems with automated card validation attempts.
What Is the VAMP Ratio?
Under VAMP, Visa uses a single ratio to assess risk.
VAMP Ratio = (TC40 Fraud Records + All Visa First-Time Disputes) ÷ Total Visa Transaction Count
What Is Enumeration?
Enumeration is a type of automated fraud that targets CNP merchants. Fraudsters use scripts to test large volumes of card numbers, searching for valid ones. These attempts can trigger TC40 fraud alerts without resulting in chargebacks, artificially inflating your VAMP ratio.
Recommended mitigation tools:
- CAPTCHA or bot-detection at checkout.
- Velocity checks on authorizations and IP addresses.
- Decline messaging that avoids signaling valid vs. invalid cards.
- Device fingerprinting and geolocation tracking.
- Gateway-level filters for BIN, IP, and user agent anomalies.
- Enforcing AVS and CVV matching.
- 3D Secure authentication, where appropriate.
Qualpay monitors enumeration trends and will notify you if we detect unusual activity.
What Is a TC40 Fraud Record?
A TC40 is a non-financial alert sent to Visa by the issuing bank when a customer reports a fraudulent transaction. This occurs before a chargeback and is used for monitoring, not resolution. These alerts now contribute to your VAMP ratio.
All first-time Visa disputes are included in the VAMP ratio. These include:
- Fraud Disputes (Codes beginning with 10).
- Authorization Errors (Codes beginning with 11).
- Processing Errors (Codes beginning with 12).
- Cardholder Disputes (Codes beginning with 13).
Disputes resolved via Real-Time Dispute Resolution (RDR) do not count toward the VAMP ratio.
VAMP Tiers and Enforcement
Visa applies a tiered approach as follows. Currently, the fee structure is still evolving.
Tier | VAMP Ratio | Impact | Fee (Starting Jan 1, 2026) |
---|---|---|---|
Early Warning | 0.40% - 0.49% | No fees; early notification of risk | TBD |
Above Standard | 0.50% - 0.69% | Requires a remediation plan; active monitoring | TBD |
Excessive | ≥ 0.70% | Mandatory remediation, heightened scrutiny, and increased Visa oversight | TBD |