First Time Dealing With Credit Card Fraud? You Got This

When Amanda Abella was 23, her wallet was stolen from her purse while she was at work. Before she realized it was missing, she began receiving texts from her bank about unusual account activity. It was the first time she had experienced fraud on her debit and credit cards.

Resolving fraudulent transactions on her debit card proved difficult and time-consuming. But reversing the unauthorized credit card charges? That was easy.

“It was literally just picking up the phone and calling. ‘Hey, my wallet got stolen. I’m filing a police report. Shut down the account. Send me a new card.’ And that was it,” says Abella, of Miami. “They refunded me all the weird transactions.” Now 29, Abella is the author of the book “Make Money Your Honey.”

If you’re dealing with sketchy charges on your credit card, chances are the process will be pretty straightforward for you, too. Here’s what to do.

Take stock of your protections

First, take a deep breath and remember: As long as you report unauthorized credit card charges to the issuer, you typically won’t have to pay for them. That’s thanks to protections under federal law and “zero liability” policies from credit card networks.

“For unauthorized use, your liability is limited to $50” under credit card law, says Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney for the National Consumer Law Center. “So if your thief uses your card to run up a bunch of charges, you can only be liable for $50. And if it’s used for an internet purchase, they can’t even charge you for the $50, if the card isn’t present.” Many issuers also waive that $50 because of zero liability policies, she says.

Many debit cards offer zero liability protection, but cardholder liability under federal law can be greater on these accounts.

Zero liability policies can be voided in cases of cardholder carelessness — but federal law still offers protection.

"Let’s say you just leave your credit card out, and somebody takes it,” Wu says. “That might be considered negligence. But you’re still covered under credit card law."

File a dispute

Promptly disputing fraudulent charges is key. Call the issuer’s customer service or file a dispute online.

“Most of the time, it’s going to be relatively easy to resolve,” says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. “Ideally, you’re going to report it to your issuer, they’re going to do an investigation [and] you will not be expected to pay for the disputed transaction while they’re investigating it.”

Your liability for fraudulent charges is limited under the law, even if you take a long time to report them. But wait too long and you risk forfeiting eligibility for zero liability protection. In the meantime, fishy charges might keep piling up.

Ask for confirmation that you’ve filed a dispute. It might take more than one call to resolve.

Set up the new card

If your credit card is affected by fraud, issuers usually cancel that card and send you a new one with a new number linked to the same account. This typically won’t affect the age of the account or harm your credit scores. However, when you get a new card, you still have to activate it and update card information for recurring payments, which can be a hassle.