How to Stop Wrongful Charges on a Credit Card
You can be a victim of credit card fraud if someone steals your credit card or otherwise acquires your credit card number and uses it to make purchases. The Fair Credit Billing Act protects you from having to pay more than $50 per card for fraudulent charges. You will not be liable for the charges at all if you report the card as lost or stolen before the charges are made or if your credit card company has a "zero liability" policy. Act quickly as soon as you suspect that your credit card is being used fraudulently.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Call your credit card company's customer service phone number if your card is lost or stolen. Provide the requested account information that the company needs to identify your account.
-
2
Ask if you need to follow up with a letter reporting the lost or stolen card. If so, ask for the address to send it to and find out what information the letter needs to contain.
-
-
3
Read your credit card bill in full each month and identify any fraudulent charges. Saving your credit card receipts can help with this process.
-
4
Call your credit card company if you notice fraudulent charges that appear on your credit card bill. Ask to speak with someone who handles billing errors or fraud and explain the fraudulent charges that you found on your bill.
-
5
Write a letter containing your name, address, account number and the errors you found on your bill, including the dates, amounts and descriptions.
-
6
Look up the address for your credit card's billing inquiries department and send the letter via certified mail with a return receipt to this address. Keep the receipt as proof that the company received the letter within 60 days of when it sent you the bill with the error.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Your credit card company will issue a card with a new credit card number in response to credit card fraud. To allow yourself to act quickly if your credit card is lost or stolen, write down your credit card number and the credit card company's customer service phone number on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe location separate from where you keep your credit card.
Protect yourself from credit card fraud by keeping your card in a safe location, refraining from providing the credit card number to anyone who calls and asks for it and avoiding saying your credit card number aloud in a public location.
Keep paying at least the minimum payment on your credit card bill, even if you are in the process of disputing a charge. You will be refunded the amount when the dispute is complete. Failure to keep up with payments will affect your credit score.
