When you receive your credit card statement in the mail, you may be shocked to discover your balance is much higher than anticipated. If this is the case, you should carefully review the charges before paying, as you may discover purchases you did not make. Unfortunately, unauthorized credit card charges are not uncommon and impact millions of consumers annually. As such, it’s imperative to understand how this theft can occur and why working with a California unauthorized credit card transactions lawyer is in your best interest to fight to have the charges removed.
How Do Unauthorized Credit Card Charges Happen?
Unfortunately, there are several ways in which your credit card may be used without your consent to make purchases or pay for services.
One of the most common methods thieves will use to access your card data is skimmers. These are devices that are outfitted to card terminals at gas stations, ATMs, and even card readers at stores. When you insert your card, the skimmer will take your card details and store them on a chip or send them to a local device. In addition, many of these skimmers also have tiny cameras that point at the number pad to steal your PIN.
Another method thieves use to obtain card information is through data breaches. When you make purchases in-store or online, your card information is stored on servers. As such, when these servers are hacked, thieves can access your data and may sell it to other thieves on the dark web.
Finally, you may be the victim of phishing schemes. When thieves want to access your information, you’ll find that they may send emails that look like communications from legitimate companies, like your credit card issuer or even a streaming service. They will also include links to websites that look identical to the actual site. By logging in to your account, you’ll provide them with your actual login information, which can then be used to steal your credit card information from the actual websites.
Can I Dispute These Charges?
If you are a victim of credit card fraud or identity theft, it’s important to understand that the law is on your side in these matters. The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) helps limit liability to $50 for unauthorized charges and grants consumers the right to dispute these with their card issuer.
When you notice unauthorized charges on your credit card, you should immediately call your card company to dispute the charges. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, they will likely issue you a new card. You should follow up with a written dispute to ensure you have documentation of this dispute. In your letter, you should include a brief explanation, statements showing the unauthorized charges, and any evidence you have to support the dispute. It’s recommended to send this via certified mail so you can get a return receipt indicating that the card company received your dispute.
Once the company gets your letter, they will have 30 days to acknowledge that you’ve initiated a dispute and two billing cycles to conduct an investigation into the matter.
It’s important to understand that filing a dispute can be an incredibly complicated matter, especially fit is denied by the card company. As such, it’s in your best interest to connect with an experienced attorney to guide you through this process. The team at Loker Law, APC, understands how unnerving it can be to find that you are a victim of credit card fraud. That’s why our team is committed to helping you through these difficult times. Connect with us today to learn how we can help you right to have the unauthorized charges removed from your credit card.
