How to Respond to Credit Card Fraud
What to Do if Goods Purchased are Misrepresented or not Delivered
Oct 14, 2008
A lot of time has been spent trying to get the vendor to reverse the charge. The items ordered were not received or the wrong items were sent, or they were not sent at all. Or what if the charge was not authorized in the first place? What should be done now? Job one is making every effort to get the money back and that is easier to do if payment was made with a credit card. Here is what should be done.
Contact the Credit Card Company
If the vendor is unreasonable, more headway can often be made by working directly with the credit card company. Contact them immediately with the dates and documents associated with the transaction. A letter should be written that makes a formal request to remove the charge. It should include:
1. The reason for the dispute
2. The dollar amount being disputed
3. Your full name and account number.
The letter can be mailed to them or faxed for faster service. Although their response can take up to three months, the disputed charge does not have to be paid until an answer is received from them. The customer may invoke their right to withhold payment so the credit card company may not report the refusal to pay the disputed sum as a delinquency. The National Consumer Law Center web site gives detailed information on the rights of the credit card customer in such a situation.
Contact the Better Business Bureau
Even though getting back the money will be a high priority in a case of vendor fraud, protecting other shoppers should be important as well. Reporting this kind of incident to the BBB is also another way of putting pressure on the vendor to do the right thing. Others will be put on notice as to their business practices and a pattern of behavior can be more easily identified if more shoppers do the same.
Contact the Police
When charges are not authorized, contacting the police and getting a hard copy of the police report is a good idea. A call to the local police department will garner information about the best way to file the report. Taking this step as early in the process as possible will also limit personal liability with the credit card company.
Some have decided to get a new credit card number to replace the original one, even if the disputed charge is handled in their favor. Examining their credit report would also be prudent. Being proactive and informed is always the best protection against fraud. Reading articles that show how to protect credit card information will definitely help. The National Consumers League web-site is another good resource for information on pursuing other steps to resolve these disputes.
