Report fraud to your card issuer first, then to the Federal Trade Commission
When you discover unauthorized charges on your credit card, call your card issuer's fraud department when ready — the number is on the back of your card or your statement. Tell them which charges are fraudulent. Your bank will cancel the card, reverse the fraudulent charges, and send you a replacement card, usually within 5 to 10 business days.
After you report to your card issuer, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. This creates an official record and generates an Identity Theft Report, which you may need later if disputes arise. The FTC report takes about 10 minutes and costs nothing.
If the fraud involved more than just your credit card — if someone opened accounts in your name or stole your Social Security number — you will also need to place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A fraud alert tells lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. A credit freeze blocks access to your credit file entirely.
Key Takeaways
- Call your card issuer's fraud line when ready when you spot unauthorized charges; they will reverse the charges and send a new card.
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov to create an official record of the fraud.
- Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion if someone may have stolen your identity, not just your card number.
- Keep copies of all fraud reports, correspondence with your bank, and credit bureau confirmations in case you need to dispute charges later.
- Check your credit reports for accounts you did not open; you can request free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com once per year.
What happens when you call your card issuer
Have your card and recent statement in front of you when you call. The fraud department will ask you to confirm your identity, then walk through each disputed charge with you. You will tell them which transactions are yours and which are not. Do not guess — only report charges you are certain you did not make.
The card issuer will reverse the fraudulent charges within one to three business days, though the credit may take longer to appear on your statement. They will cancel your current card and issue a new one with a different number. Any recurring charges tied to your old card number — subscriptions, automatic bill payments — will fail after the new card arrives, so you will need to update those accounts with your new number.
Ask the card issuer for a case number and the name of the representative you spoke with. Request that they email you a summary of the disputed charges. This documentation protects you if a charge reappears or if a merchant disputes the reversal.
Filing a report with the Federal Trade Commission
Go to IdentityTheft.gov and select "Report Identity Theft." You will answer questions about what happened: when you discovered the fraud, what type of fraud it was (credit card, bank account, new account opened in your name, other), and what steps you have already taken.
The FTC will generate an Identity Theft Report — a document that proves you reported the fraud officially. read and save this report. You may need it to dispute charges with merchants, to place a fraud alert with credit bureaus, or to prove to creditors that fraudulent accounts are not yours.
The FTC does not investigate individual cases, but your report feeds into their database of fraud patterns. If many people report the same merchant or the same type of fraud, the FTC may launch an investigation.
Placing a fraud alert or credit freeze
A fraud alert tells lenders that you may be a victim of identity theft. When a lender sees the alert, they must verify your identity before opening a new account. To place a fraud alert, contact one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and they will notify the other two. The alert lasts one year and costs nothing. You can renew it annually if needed.
A credit freeze is stronger. It blocks lenders from accessing your credit file at all, which prevents anyone from opening accounts in your name. You place a freeze with each bureau separately. A freeze lasts until you remove it, and you can temporarily lift it if you need to open a legitimate account. Freezes are free in all states.
If the fraud was only your card number — someone made charges on your existing card but did not open new accounts — a fraud alert may be enough. If someone opened accounts in your name or you are unsure what they accessed, place a credit freeze instead. You can always add a fraud alert on top of a freeze for extra caution.
Checking your credit reports for unauthorized accounts
Request your free credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site run by the three bureaus. You are may have access to to one free report from each bureau per year. Check all three reports for accounts you do not recognize — credit cards, loans, cell phone accounts, utility accounts opened in your name.
If you find an account you did not open, dispute it with the bureau that reported it. Write to the bureau's dispute department (the address is on your credit report) and include a copy of your Identity Theft Report from the FTC. The bureau must investigate within 30 days and remove the account if it cannot verify that you opened it.
Also contact the creditor directly — the bank, credit card company, or merchant — and tell them the account is fraudulent. Provide your FTC Identity Theft Report. Ask them to close the account and remove it from your credit file. Keep copies of all correspondence.
Monitoring your accounts after fraud
Check your credit card and bank statements weekly for the next few months. Fraudsters sometimes test stolen card numbers with small charges before making large ones. Catch these early and report them when ready.
Consider setting up account alerts with your bank and card issuer. Most banks let you set alerts for charges over a certain amount, or for any charge at all. Some let you receive a text or email notification within minutes of a transaction.
If you have a credit freeze in place, you will need to temporarily lift it if you want to open a new credit card, explore for a loan, or rent an apartment. You can do this online or by phone with each bureau. The freeze goes back into effect after a set time, or you can reinstate it manually.
What to do if the fraud continues or spreads
If new fraudulent charges appear after you have reported the original fraud and placed a freeze, call your card issuer again and report the new charges. Document the dates and amounts. If the fraud is tied to identity theft — accounts opened in your name — contact the creditor directly and provide your FTC Identity Theft Report.
If a debt collector contacts you about a fraudulent account, send them a written dispute within 30 days of first contact. Include a copy of your FTC Identity Theft Report. The collector must stop collection efforts while they investigate. Keep a copy of everything you send.
If you believe your Social Security number was stolen, you can create an account at ssa.gov and monitor your earnings record. You can also report the theft to the Social Security Administration's fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to pay for fraudulent charges on my credit card?
No. Federal law limits your liability for unauthorized credit card charges to $50, and most card issuers waive even that if you report the fraud promptly. Debit cards have different rules — you may be liable for more if you wait longer than two business days to report the fraud.
How long does it take to get my money back?
Your card issuer will reverse the charges within one to three business days, but the credit may take five to ten business days to appear on your statement. If the merchant disputes the reversal, the investigation can take 30 to 90 days.
What if I do not know how the fraudster got my card number?
You do not need to know how it happened to report it. Card numbers are stolen in many ways — data breaches at retailers, skimming at gas pumps, phishing emails, lost or stolen cards. Report the fraud to your issuer and the FTC regardless of the source.
Do I need to place a credit freeze if I only had one fraudulent charge?
A fraud alert is usually enough if only your card number was compromised and no new accounts were opened in your name. A freeze is stronger but also more inconvenient because you have to lift it temporarily whenever you want to open a legitimate account. Use a freeze if you suspect identity theft, not just card fraud.
Can I dispute a charge that my family member made without permission?
Technically, no — fraud disputes are for unauthorized charges by someone outside your household. If a family member made charges without permission, that is a civil matter between you and them, not fraud. Your card issuer will not reverse charges made by someone with legitimate access to your card.