Everyday Banking · session 6 of 6 · 25 min

When Something Looks Wrong

Act on a wrong or unknown charge: who to contact, in what order, and how fast.
Tell a dispute (merchant problem) from fraud (stranger problem) and respond to each.

A wrong charge is one of two problems. A dispute is a merchant problem: you were billed twice, the item never came, the subscription would not cancel. Fraud is a stranger problem: someone who is not you used your card. They have different fixes, and naming which one you have is step one.

A store you have never heard of charged your card Ⓛ89.00 last night. Whom do you contact first?

Pick your answer first, then open it.

The card issuer — report fraud, kill the card, get a new number

✓ Right. A stranger with your number stays a threat until the card dies. The issuer freezes it, reverses the charge through their fraud process, and sends a new card.

The store — ask them to refund it

For fraud, the store is the wrong door: you have no relationship with them, and meanwhile your live card number is still out there. Merchant-first is for billing mistakes with merchants you actually used.

Wait a few weeks — it might be a delayed charge you forgot

Checking your own records first is fair — for an hour, not weeks. Protections are strongest for people who report promptly, and a stranger with your number does not wait.

When a problem is real, put it in writing: the date you noticed, whom you told, what they said. Phone calls fix easy problems; paper wins hard ones. Protections have clocks on them, and your written record is proof you beat the clock.

This week

Save your card issuer's fraud number in your phone tonight, from the back of the card — before you need it, while nothing is wrong.

That is the last session of Everyday Banking. Pick your next course →