As a Business Who Do You Report Credit Card Fraud To?

If you find unauthorized charges on your credit card, contact your bank straight away to report them and get the card revoked. A fraudster might have stolen your credit card number at a store where you made a transaction. Fraudulent purchases are frequently done online. Although, that’s not always the case because your card may have been cloned.

The good news is that in most incidents of credit card fraud, users are not held liable for the amounts lost. The Fair Credit Billing Act restricts responsibility to $50, and there’s typically no charge at all.

What Is A Credit Card Fraud?

When a fraudster or thief uses your stolen identity or the information on your card to make unlawful payments in your identity or take out cash withdrawals on your account, this is known as credit card fraud.

A credit account is fraudulently utilized if it is used without the owner’s knowledge or agreement. Credit card fraud occurs when you fall for a phishing email, and unexpected transactions appear on your credit card account. 

Credit card fraud happens when you swipe your card at a petrol station without understanding you’ve just entered your card into a credit card skimmer. Credit card theft occurs when a family member or roommate takes your credit card and uses it to make a purchase. You may unintentionally commit fraud if you borrow your spouse’s credit card without their consent.

This type of fraud can occur on a large scale at times. For example, the Marriott data breaches put millions of people in danger of identity theft. Fraudsters may design targeted schemes to catch victims one at a time. 

The end outcome is the same regardless of how the fraud occurs: Once a fraudster obtains your credit card details or private data, they can use it to purchase items on your current credit cards or open new credit accounts in your name.

Who to Report Your Credit Card Fraud To

Know your rights if you detect credit card theft. Most credit card companies guarantee 0% fraud responsibility for unauthorized purchases, but you must first understand how to halt illegal credit card charges to benefit from this protection. Here are three ways to report credit card fraud and prevent numerous fraudulent activities on the same credit card account.                         

• Contact Your Credit Card Company — You must report fraudulent transactions within 60 working days of receiving the billing statement, including the questionable amount, according to the Fair Credit Billing Act. 

This implies that if your credit card statement arrives on the first of the month, you have 60 days to report any possible fraudulent payments. However, whether you’re reading your monthly statement or verifying the transactions that just posted to your online account, it’s a good idea to notify your credit card issuer as soon as you see any strange activity on your card.

• Change Passwords — When you’re done informing your credit card company, the next step is to change your account details, such as your credit card password, so the fraudsters do not scam with your account again.  

Change the password connected with the credit card in issue, then change the passwords on any sites or accounts where that credit card is used as a payment mechanism. Now is an excellent opportunity to set up two-factor authentication on your accounts if you can. These security precautions can help you avoid credit card theft in the future.

How To Protect Yourself From Credit Card Fraud?

If your credit card has been stolen in the United States, federal law restricts cardholders’ responsibility to $50, regardless of how much the unauthorized user charged on the card. 

In today’s age of electronic fraud, federal law assures that the cardholder has no obligation to the issuer if just the credit card account number is taken and the theft is notified before any charges are made. 

Many credit card firms have also adopted a zero-liability policy, which implies that the consumer is not liable for fraudulent transactions. The facts are usually spelled out in the terms and conditions of your cardholder agreement.

You should notify your credit card issuer immediately if you notice any suspicious ac5tivity on your credit card. Other than that, you may take the following steps to protect yourself from credit card fraud.

• Review Your Credit Card statements — Reviewing your credit card bills every month is the greatest method to protect yourself against credit card fraud. Even if you check your available credit or examine posted transactions frequently on your credit card app, it’s still advisable to read your credit card statement when it arrives in your email or mailbox.
  
• Monitor Your Reports — Ordering credit reports from each credit card reporting organization is a wonderful method to keep track of account activity. In truth, you are only entitled to one free credit report per year under federal law, but if your car has ever been stolen, you may be eligible to access your reports for free more regularly.
  
• Set Up Mobile Alerts — Setting up mobile notifications is another effective approach to protect yourself against fraud. Your credit card company will send an alert every time a questionable charge appears if you enable mobile notifications on your account. Then you’ll have the option of telling your issuer if you made the charge or if it was potentially fraudulent.
  
• Freeze Credit Reports — Freezing your credit reports is the greatest approach to protect you from this type of credit card fraud.

Anyone attempting to obtain a credit card or apply for a loan under your name will be denied if your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit reports are frozen. This stops identity thieves from obtaining credit cards or loans in your name, but it also prohibits you from opening new lines of credit. So you’ll need to thaw your credit freeze before applying for a new credit card, shopping for a mortgage, or taking out a private loan.

Ending Remarks

Remember that if your card is stolen and hundreds of dollars in transactions are made, you are not responsible. However, it may take some time to figure out the charges and receive reimbursement. As soon as the fraudulent purchases are detected, inform your credit card provider, and keep an eye on your credit report and other cards to assure nothing else has been taken.

From fraudsters to card skimming, nearly all credit card fraud schemes have the same result: somebody else making illegal transactions on your credit card account. 

Understanding how to report credit card fraud and halt unauthorized credit card transactions might help you avoid paying for someone else’s fraud. Taking precautions to avoid credit card theft will help you avoid dealing with these problems in the future.

If you’ve been fortunate enough to have never been a victim of credit card fraud, take urgent actions to make yourself less vulnerable. Order your yearly credit card reports, keep track of your bills and transactions, and call your credit card provider immediately if anything unusual appears.