Real-time safeguard checks
$2,400.00 — Marketplace Purchase
Transactions Protected
Fraud Prevented
Uptime SLA
Avg Escrow Lock
Six layers of protection
Every transaction is wrapped in structural safeguards — from the moment funds are captured to the final settlement.
Escrow holding
Every payment enters a segregated escrow account before the seller can access it. Funds are cryptographically locked and only released when conditions are met.
Real-time fraud scoring
Every transaction is scored against 40+ risk signals — device fingerprint, velocity patterns, geolocation anomalies, behavioral biometrics — before funds are captured.
End-to-end encryption
TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest. Card numbers never touch our servers — they go straight to PCI DSS Level 1 certified vaults via tokenization.
Identity verification
KYC checks against government databases, sanctions lists, and PEP registries. Document + selfie verification for high-value transactions.
State machine enforcement
Every transaction follows a deterministic state machine. No state can be skipped, no transition can be forced. The code enforces the rules, not humans.
Dispute arbitration
When buyer and seller disagree, both submit evidence. A trained reviewer examines the facts and issues a binding decision within 7 business days.
Deterministic state machine
Every transaction follows a fixed sequence of states. No state can be skipped, no transition forced. The code enforces the rules.
| State | What happens | Actor | Next states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Transaction created, details editable. Auto-expires in 7 days if no action. | Buyer / Seller | Awaiting Payment, Cancelled |
| Awaiting Payment | Buyer redirected to payment gateway. 30-minute session window. | Buyer | Payment Confirmed, Expired |
| Payment Confirmed | Funds captured and verified. Brief transitional state before escrow. | System | In Escrow |
| In Escrow | Funds locked in segregated account. Seller can begin delivery. | — | Delivery Submitted, Cancelled (mutual) |
| Delivery Submitted | Seller marks complete. 3-day inspection window starts for buyer. | Seller | Completed, Disputed |
| Disputed | Frozen. 5-day evidence phase, then admin review and resolution. | Admin | Completed, Refunded |
| Completed | Funds released to seller minus platform fee. Irreversible. | System / Buyer | Terminal |
| Refunded | Funds returned to buyer in full. Irreversible. | Admin / Mutual | Terminal |
40+ fraud detection signals
Every transaction is scored in real-time against device, behavioral, financial, and regulatory signals. Here are the key categories.
Device fingerprint
Browser, OS, screen resolution, timezone, and hardware hash create a unique device ID that persists across sessions.
Velocity checks
Rate limiting on transactions per hour, per day, and per card. Sudden spikes trigger automatic holds for manual review.
Geolocation analysis
IP geolocation cross-referenced with card issuing country and shipping address. Mismatches escalate risk score.
Behavioral biometrics
Typing cadence, mouse movement patterns, and session timing compared against the account's historical baseline.
Card BIN validation
Card issuer, type, and country verified against known fraud patterns. Prepaid cards from high-risk regions flagged.
Email & phone intelligence
Email age, domain reputation, phone carrier type, and social footprint scored to detect synthetic identities.
Transaction pattern analysis
Amount clustering, time-of-day patterns, and merchant category codes compared against account history.
Sanctions & watchlist screening
Real-time checks against OFAC, EU sanctions, UN lists, and PEP databases on every transaction.
Compliance & certifications
Regulatory compliance isn't an afterthought. It's built into the infrastructure from day one.
PCI DSS Level 1
The highest level of payment card security certification. Annual audits, quarterly scans, and continuous monitoring.
SOC 2 Type II
Independent audit of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy controls.
GDPR Compliant
Full data protection compliance — right to erasure, data portability, breach notification within 72 hours.
AML / KYC
Anti-money laundering checks and Know Your Customer verification on every account. Ongoing transaction monitoring.
3D Secure 2.0
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) for European transactions. Frictionless flow for low-risk payments.
Open Banking Ready
PSD2-compliant account-to-account payments with bank-grade authentication and consent management.
Safeguarded vs raw payments
Without structural safeguards, you're relying on trust. With them, every transaction is provably protected.
PaySafer Safeguards
Raw Payment
Integrate in four API calls
Add every safeguard to your platform with a straightforward REST API. No complex configuration, no separate compliance stack.
Create a transaction
POST /api/transactions { amount, currency, parties }Initialize a protected transaction with amount, currency, and buyer/seller details. Returns a transaction ID and payment URL.
Buyer completes payment
Redirect → hosted checkout → webhookBuyer is redirected to a hosted checkout. Card details are tokenized. Funds are captured and moved to escrow. You receive a webhook.
Seller delivers
POST /api/transactions/:id/deliverSeller marks delivery complete via API or dashboard. The buyer's 3-day inspection window begins automatically.
Funds released
POST /api/transactions/:id/release (or auto)Buyer approves, or the inspection window expires. Funds are released to the seller minus your platform fee. Webhook fired.
How PaySafer compares
Structural protection vs bolt-on features.
| Safeguard | PaySafer | Stripe | PayPal | Manual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escrow-based holding | Every transaction | No | No | Custom build |
| Fraud scoring | 40+ signals | Radar (add-on) | Basic | DIY |
| State machine | Built-in | No | No | Custom build |
| PCI compliance | Included | Included | Included | $$$ |
| Dispute resolution | Human-reviewed | Chargeback-based | Auto-decided | None |
| Inspection window | 3 days | No | No | Custom build |
| KYC / AML | Built-in | Connect only | Basic | Third-party |
| Audit trail | Immutable | Logs | Limited | Manual |
Trusted by builders
Teams that integrated PaySafer safeguards into their platforms.
“We integrated PaySafer's safeguards in a weekend. The state machine alone saved us 3 months of custom escrow logic. Fraud dropped 94% in the first quarter.”
Alex K.
Marketplace CTO
“Having PCI, KYC, and AML built into the payment flow means we don't need a separate compliance stack. One integration covers everything regulators ask for.”
Priya S.
Compliance Lead
“Our disputes used to take 45 days through chargebacks. Now they resolve in under a week with evidence-based arbitration. Sellers trust us more, buyers stay longer.”
Daniel M.
Freelance platform founder
Frequently asked questions
Technical details about transaction safeguards.