a chapter on fraud
How to dispute a charge you don't recognize: the exact script
Lock the card first and ask questions second. Then check whether the "fraud" is a merchant's legal name, call with a script, and write down the case number. Here are the deadlines that decide whether you get the money back.
Lock the card, check the merchant name, then call your bank or card issuer with a script. The deadlines decide the outcome: report a debit card charge within 2 business days to cap your liability at $50, and the bank must resolve it or give provisional credit within 10 business days.1 A credit card dispute must be in writing within 60 days of the statement.2
The short answer
- Lock the card first. Every banking app has a freeze toggle. One charge can be sorted; a second charge is the real damage.
- Check the merchant name before you dispute. A lot of "fraud" is a company's legal name. Search the string plus the word "charge" before you call.
- Debit card: report within 2 business days for $50 max liability, within 60 days for $500 max. The bank has 10 business days to resolve or credit you provisionally.1
- Credit card: dispute in writing within 60 days of the statement. The issuer acknowledges within 30 days and resolves within two billing cycles, at most 90 days.2
Text tbd and it runs this on your own statement.
1. Lock the card first, ask questions second
Open the bank or card app and turn the card off. It takes ten seconds, it costs nothing, and it is reversible. The charge you found can be investigated at leisure; what cannot be undone is the next charge, the one that posts while you are on hold. If the card number is confirmed stolen, the issuer will replace it anyway, and locking it now means the replacement is the only inconvenience.
While the card is locked, autopays on it will fail. Make a short list of what bills to that card so you can move them to the new number when it arrives. The subscription audit is the same list, which is one reason to have done it.
2. Check the merchant name before you dispute
A large share of disputed charges are not fraud. They are a merchant's legal name, a parent company, a payment processor's descriptor, or a subscription that renewed on the date you agreed to and forgot. "VLTX DIGITAL" might be your meditation app. "SQ *" is a small business using Square. "AMZN Mktp" is a marketplace order shipped in two parts. Before you call, search the exact string from the statement plus the word "charge," and check the amount against recent receipts and app subscriptions.
This step matters for two reasons. A false fraud claim closes a card you did not need to close, and a dispute you lose can be marked against you with that merchant. Ten minutes of checking prevents both.
| Descriptor on the statement | What it often is |
|---|---|
| SQ , TST , PY * | A small business through Square, Toast, or a payment processor |
| Company name you do not recognize | The legal name of an app or service you use under a different brand |
| A round amount on the 1st | An annual or monthly renewal you set up |
| Two charges, one small | A pre-authorization hold plus the real charge; the hold drops in a few days |
| A charge in a city you have never visited | Where the merchant is headquartered, not where you shopped |
3. The script
Call the number on the back of the card, not one from an email or a search result. When you reach a person, say this:
"I'm disputing a charge of $247.88 on [date] from [merchant as it appears on the statement]. I did not authorize it. Please open a dispute, block the merchant, and reissue my card."
If the charge is a billing error rather than fraud (wrong amount, a cancelled subscription that charged, an item never delivered), say that instead: "I'm disputing a charge of $[amount] on [date] from [merchant]. I cancelled on [date] and have the confirmation. Please open a billing dispute and reverse it." For a credit card, follow the call with the issuer's written dispute form or a letter, because the legal protections under the Fair Credit Billing Act attach to a written dispute.2
4. What to write down
The case number, the agent's name, the date and time, and what they said the next step is. A dispute without a case number is a phone call you had once. Keep the statement line, any screenshots, and, for a cancelled service, the cancellation confirmation. If a provisional credit appears, note the date; if it is later reversed, the bank must tell you why in writing and you can ask for the documents it relied on.1
5. The timelines that decide it
Debit and credit cards run on different laws, and the differences are the whole reason to know which card you used.
| Debit card (Regulation E) | Credit card (Fair Credit Billing Act) | |
|---|---|---|
| Report by | 2 business days after you learn of it for $50 max liability; 60 days from the statement for $500 max | 60 days from the statement date, in writing, for a billing error; unauthorized use capped at $50 |
| Bank's first deadline | 10 business days to resolve or issue provisional credit | 30 days to acknowledge in writing |
| Final resolution | Up to 45 days (90 for new accounts, point-of-sale, or foreign transactions) if provisional credit was given | Two billing cycles, at most 90 days |
| While it is open | You get the money back provisionally after 10 business days | You do not have to pay the disputed amount or interest on it |
| If you wait too long | After 60 days, liability for later charges can be unlimited | After 60 days, the legal protection lapses; the issuer may still help voluntarily |
Two things stand out. Debit disputes are about your own money leaving your account, which is why the report-fast rule is strict and the provisional credit exists. Credit disputes are about a bill you have not paid yet, which is why the protection is a right to withhold rather than a refund. If you have a choice of card for online purchases, this table is the argument for the credit card.
6. After the dispute
Move autopays to the new card as they arrive, and watch the next two statements for the merchant and for anything else you do not recognize; card numbers stolen once are often used more than once before the replacement takes effect. If the dispute is for a subscription that kept charging after cancellation, the merchant will sometimes refund directly when it sees a dispute opened, and the issuer will close the case. If it is denied and you believe the charge is unauthorized, you can complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which forwards complaints to the company and tracks the response.3
If the charge was real and simply forgotten, the fix is upstream: how much people spend on subscriptions explains why forgotten charges are the norm, and the audit is how you stop meeting them on the statement.
The order, once more
- Lock the card in the app.
- Search the merchant string; rule out a legal name or a forgotten renewal.
- Call the number on the card; use the script; get a case number.
- Follow up in writing for a credit card.
- Note the provisional credit date and read the resolution letter.
- Move autopays to the new card and watch the next two statements.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to dispute a charge?
For a credit card, 60 days from the date of the statement that shows the charge, in writing, under the Fair Credit Billing Act. For a debit card, report within 2 business days of discovering it to cap your liability at $50, and within 60 days of the statement to cap it at $500.
Do I get my money back while the bank investigates?
On a debit card, yes in most cases: if the bank cannot finish within 10 business days, Regulation E requires it to give you provisional credit while it continues, for up to 45 days. On a credit card, you do not receive a refund, but you do not have to pay the disputed amount or interest on it while the dispute is open.
Should I contact the merchant or the bank first?
The merchant first for a billing problem you can explain, like a cancelled subscription that charged or an item that never arrived; a refund is faster than a dispute. The bank first for a charge you did not make at all, after locking the card. Either way, keep the 60-day clock in mind and file the dispute before it runs out.
Can I dispute a charge I forgot I authorized?
You can ask, but a charge you agreed to is not fraud or a billing error, and the dispute will usually be denied once the merchant shows the signup. The better path is to cancel the service, request a refund from the merchant directly, and confirm on the next statement that the charge has stopped.
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, "How do I get my money back after I discovered an unauthorized transaction or money missing from my bank account?" (Regulation E timelines and liability limits). https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-get-my-money-back-after-i-discovered-an-unauthorized-transaction-or-money-missing-from-my-bank-account-en-1017/
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, "How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill?" (Fair Credit Billing Act: 60 days in writing, 30 days to acknowledge, two billing cycles to resolve). https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-dispute-a-charge-on-my-credit-card-bill-en-1289/
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, "Submit a complaint." https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
- Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.6 (consumer liability) and 1005.11 (error resolution). https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1005/11/
Checked 2026-09-04. If a number here has moved, tell us and we fix it the same week.