How To Report Credit Card Fraud Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: Ivan Pantic/Getty Images March 30, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012—and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library. In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor. Meredith Hoffman is a personal finance writer covering credit card news and advice at Bankrate. She is originally from Columbia, S.C., and received her bachelor's degree from the Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington. Before joining Bankrate in October 2019, Meredith worked as the news editor of Wilmington’s local newspaper, The Seahawk. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to: Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options. Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions. Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you. At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. If you’ve recently had to deal with credit card fraud, you’re not alone. According to the , credit card fraud was the most common form of identity theft reported in 2020, with over 393,2017 reports from people who had their current credit accounts compromised. If you spot suspicious charges on your credit card, there are steps you can take to report the fraud and ensure you don’t have to pay for someone else’s purchases. Let’s take a close look at how to identify credit card fraud, how to report credit card fraud and how to stop unauthorized credit card charges. What is credit card fraud
Any time a credit account is used without the owner’s knowledge or consent, that account is being used fraudulently. If you fall for a and unusual charges begin appearing on your credit card account, that’s credit card fraud. If you swipe your card at a gas station without realizing you just inserted your card into a , that’s credit card fraud. If a family member or roommate steals your credit card and goes on a shopping spree, that’s credit card fraud. If you borrow your spouse’s credit card without their permission, you might be yourself. Sometimes this kind of fraud happens on a massive scale. The Marriott security breaches, for example, put millions of people at risk of identity theft. Other times, fraudsters create targeted scams to trap people one at a time. No matter how the fraud happens, the result is pretty much the same: Once a hacker or scammer has access to your credit card number and/or personal information, they can use that information to make purchases on your existing credit cards or take out new lines of credit under your name. How to report credit card fraud
If you suspect credit card fraud, . Most credit card issuers offer zero fraud liability on unauthorized charges—but you still have to know how to stop unauthorized credit card charges before you can take advantage of that protection. Here are three steps you can take to report credit card fraud and protect yourself against multiple fraudulent transactions on the same credit card account. Contact your credit card issuer
The first step in reporting credit card fraud? Contact your credit card issuer. In some cases, your credit card issuer will contact you first—you might receive an email or a mobile alert asking if a recent charge looks familiar, for example. In other cases, you’ll need to report the unusual or suspicious charge yourself by calling the number on the back of your credit card. The states that you must report fraudulent charges within 60 days of receiving the billing statement containing the suspicious charge. This means that if you receive your credit card statement on the first of the month, you have 60 days from that date to report any potentially fraudulent charges. However, it’s a good idea to contact your credit card issuer as soon as you notice any unusual activity on your card—whether you’re reviewing your monthly statement or checking the transactions that recently posted to your online account. Change your passwords
After you let your credit card issuer know that you suspect your credit card account has been compromised, it’s a good idea to change your passwords. Start by changing the password associated with the credit card in question—then consider changing the passwords on any websites or accounts on which that credit card is stored as a method of payment. If you have the option to implement two-factor authentication on your accounts, now’s a good time to set it up. These security measures will help protect you from repeated credit card fraud. Update mobile wallets and online accounts
When you report credit card fraud, your credit card issuer is likely to cancel your current credit card and send you a new card with a new credit card number. After your new credit card arrives, take the time to update your and online accounts—especially if you have automatic payments set up. That way, you won’t accidentally fall behind on a subscription or bill. If you used your old credit card to make purchases on sites like Amazon, make sure you update those payment methods as well. How to protect yourself from credit card fraud
Knowing how to report credit card fraud is one thing—but how do you protect yourself from credit card fraud in the first place? Here are three ways to keep an eye on your credit cards and make it harder for thieves to make purchases in your name. Review your credit card statements
The best way to protect yourself from credit card fraud is to every month. Even if you’re the kind of person who regularly logs into your credit card app to check your available credit or review posted transactions, it’s still a good idea to read your credit card statement every time it hits your inbox or mailbox. When you review your credit card statement, take a close look at each of the transactions associated with your account. Do any purchases look unusual or suspicious? If you suspect that one or more of the charges on your account might be fraudulent, contact your credit card issuer right away. Set up mobile alerts
Another good way to protect yourself from fraud is to . When you activate mobile alerts on your credit card account, your credit card issuer will send you a notification every time a suspicious charge posts to your account. Then, you’ll have the option to let your issuer know whether you made the charge yourself, or whether the charge might be fraudulent. Fraud protection isn’t the only benefit you’ll get by setting up mobile alerts. Mobile alerts can remind you when your next credit card payment is due and let you know when your most recent payment has gone through. You can also receive notifications every time your account reaches a certain balance—or every time you make a purchase above a certain dollar amount. You can even get a notification every time there is a new charge on your card. Freeze your credit reports
Protecting your current credit accounts from fraud is an important step—but what if identity thieves try to take out new lines of credit under your name? The best way to protect yourself from this kind of credit card fraud is by freezing your credit reports. When your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports are frozen, anyone who tries to open a credit card or apply for a loan under your name will be declined. This prevents identity thieves from taking out credit cards or loans under your name, but it also prevents you from opening new lines of credit—so if you want to , shop for a mortgage or take out a , you’ll need to . The bottom line
Nearly all credit card fraud schemes, from phishing scams to card skimming, have the same end result: Someone else making fraudulent purchases on your credit card account. Knowing how to report credit card fraud and how to stop unauthorized credit card charges can help protect you from having to pay for someone else’s fraudulent charges. Taking steps to prevent credit card fraud can help protect you from having to deal with these headaches in the future. SHARE: Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012—and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library. In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor. Meredith Hoffman is a personal finance writer covering credit card news and advice at Bankrate. She is originally from Columbia, S.C., and received her bachelor's degree from the Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington. Before joining Bankrate in October 2019, Meredith worked as the news editor of Wilmington’s local newspaper, The Seahawk. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Related Articles