RIP-OFF ALERT: Here's a case of the shoe now being on the other foot! Some unsavory consumers have come up with a new way to rip off businesses who sell their wares by phone, internet or mail order.

What being called "friendly" fraud by The Wall Street Journal has spiked by 50% in the last 6 months, according to some retailers.

Here's how it works: A consumer will order an item, receive it through the mail and then dispute the charge with their credit card company. They'll say they never received the merchandise, or it was misrepresented, or whatever other lie they can devise.

Businesses are fighting back any way they can. One retailer documents the entire packaging and shipping process with digital photos so they can dispute a charge-back if one arises.

Others have found that signature confirmation or other tracking methods are equally effective insurance policies.

The monetary toll of friendly fraud can be staggering. One photo equipment supplier averages $130,000/week in fraud orders. About a third of those are of the friendly fraud nature. The rest are people using phony credit cards to make off with expensive equipment.

There's actually nothing "friendly" about friendly fraud at all.