See something on your credit card statement that just doesn’t add up to what you thought you spent? It might be fraud—or it might be a simple mistake.
Take a closer look at the transaction date, location, and amount. If you were overcharged or charged several times for the same amount, it’s probably an error on the merchant’s part. You can file a dispute to have your credit card issuer investigate the problem—and you can usually do that right from your statement when you’re logged in online. You can also file a dispute if the product or service you paid for was never delivered, or if your refund for a return wasn’t processed.
Meanwhile, if you see charges from vendors you don’t recognize or amounts that you don’t remember spending, it’s more likely to be fraud. In that case, don’t use the dispute form—pick up the phone and call your bank or card issuer.
Disputes can take a few weeks to investigate, while fraud teams can start working on your case immediately. But it’s up to you to know when to make the call, if your bank doesn’t pick up on the problem first.