"A high-end sushi spot that runs a 20-course tasting menu priced at $475 per person, whose owner has seen chargebacks spike dramatically over the past six months; he reports about $10,000 lost in a single month. To counter fraud he scrutinizes reservation profiles for real-person signals (preferences, allergies, celebrations), watches diner behavior for red flags (guests arriving separately and not interacting), and has on occasion required on-site payment when a prepaid booking looked suspicious—tactics that can be awkward but necessary to avoid disputed refunds." - Andrea Strong