Get SMS Alerts for High-Risk Orders in Shopify

6 min setup
No coding required
Runs automatically

Safeguard your ecommerce store by receiving instant SMS notifications for high-risk orders. This MESA workflow template automatically sends a text message to the store administrator whenever a potentially fraudulent order is detected, enabling you to quickly investigate and take necessary action. Add an extra layer of protection to prevent fraud-related issues and maintain a secure shopping experience. Note: This workflow requires either a Shopify plan or higher, or Shopify Payments enabled on any plan.

How it works

5 steps to start receiving SMS notifications when high-risk orders are flagged by Shopify's fraud detection system

1. Order Created

App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html) • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This trigger monitors your Shopify store for new orders and kicks off the fraud detection workflow automatically whenever a customer completes a purchase.

The trigger activates immediately when any order is created in your Shopify store, capturing all the order details needed for risk assessment. No configuration is required - it connects directly to your store and starts monitoring as soon as you activate the workflow. The trigger passes complete order information to the next step, including customer details, order value, and payment information that Shopify uses for fraud analysis.

2. Retrieve Shop

App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html) • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This step gathers your store's domain information, which is needed to create the correct admin URL for viewing flagged orders in your Shopify dashboard.

The step automatically pulls your store's basic information from Shopify, including your myshopify.com domain name. This data gets used later to build the direct link to the order in your admin panel that appears in the SMS alert. No configuration is needed - it runs automatically after the order trigger and passes your store domain to subsequent steps.

3. Get List of Order's Risks

App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html) • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This step analyzes the specific order for fraud indicators using Shopify's built-in risk assessment system to determine if the order should be cancelled.

The step queries Shopify's fraud detection API to retrieve all risk assessments for the new order, including factors like payment method, billing/shipping address mismatches, and historical fraud patterns. It automatically processes the risk analysis and generates a recommendation (like "CANCEL" for high-risk orders). The risk recommendation gets passed to the filter step to determine whether an SMS alert should be sent.

4. Filter: High-Risk Orders Only

App connector: [Filter](/content/apps/filter/integrate "View Filter integration page"/index.html) • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This step acts as a decision gate that only allows high-risk orders flagged for cancellation to trigger SMS alerts, preventing unnecessary notifications for legitimate orders.

The filter examines the risk recommendation from the previous step and only continues the workflow when the recommendation equals "CANCEL" (indicating high fraud risk). Orders with "ACCEPT" or "INVESTIGATE" recommendations stop here and don't generate SMS alerts. When a high-risk order passes through this filter, it triggers the final SMS notification step with all the order details.

5. Send SMS Alert

App connector: [SMS](/content/apps/sms/integrate "View SMS integration page"/index.html) • Time to complete: 2 minutes
Why this matters: This step delivers the actual SMS alert to your phone with order details and a direct link to review the flagged order in your Shopify admin.

You'll need to enter your phone number in the "to" field using the format +1 415 555 2671 (currently supports US and Canadian numbers only). The message automatically includes the order number and creates a clickable link that takes you directly to the order page in your Shopify admin for immediate review. The SMS sends instantly when a high-risk order is detected, allowing you to take quick action on potentially fraudulent purchases.

Frequently asked questions

Does this workflow send alerts for every single order?

No, the workflow only sends SMS notifications for orders that Shopify's fraud detection system flags with a "CANCEL" recommendation. Regular orders with "ACCEPT" or "INVESTIGATE" recommendations won't trigger any alerts.

Can I customize the SMS message content?

Yes, you can edit the message text in the final step to include different order details, change the wording, or add your store's specific instructions for handling high-risk orders.

What should I do when I receive a high-risk order alert?

Click the admin link in the SMS to review the order details and fraud indicators in Shopify. You can then decide to cancel the order, contact the customer for verification, or investigate further based on the specific risk factors shown.