What to do if you suspect credit card fraud?
By lynn2008 | January 29 2010 | Permalink | TrackBack(0) | 790 Views | 0
I was wondering if there is a standard set of steps to follow if you suspect your credit card info may have been stolen? I have noticed a $1 charge on my debit card that appears in the pending section but then goes away after a few days. The charge is for a gas station that I have never been to.
EXPERT ANSWERS (2)
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If your information is stolen (or even if you think it has been stolen) you can set up a free, 90-day fraud alert on your credit account. This will alert the credit reporting agencies of potential fraud. You can learn more about this in Robin Holland's article on the Equifax Personal Finance Blog.
http://bit.ly/bKiV1n
by:
ThinkGlinkJenn
| June 21 2010
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Do you have your debit card with you?
The bank probably will issue a temporary credit on the items in question and it will be sending you an affidavit that you will have to notarize and fax back . I f you do not respond the bank will revert the charges to your account.
Act promptly.
by: Vielka Burey-Jacas | February 02 2010
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From what you've described, it sounds like one of those charges that happens when the merchant is trying to get authorization to validate the card. You said that it was in the pending section, but then it went away after a few days. When it's in the pending section, there should be some identifying info about the charge... including a contact number. You can ask your bank for assistance with contacting the merchant, and then you'd be able to ask for more info regarding the charge. From your post, it sounds like it never resulted into an actual charge. Is that correct?
Another thing to note is that many times, the official name that a merchant goes by is not the same one that is on their signage. Was there a time when you may have swiped the card at a pump but decided for some reason not to go through with the sale? That can account for what you've described. Car rental places do the same thing...they just do it for larger dollar amounts until they are sure of the exact actual amount to charge.
by: Marlena Jareaux | February 03 2010
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