Unauthorized Credit Card Charge? Here's How to Get Your Money Back.

I found a $79 charge on my credit card that I did not recognize. It was not a subscription I forgot about. It was a charge from a company I had never heard of. Here is how I tracked it down and got my money back.

I first Googled the merchant name. It appeared to be a Chinese dropshipping company. I had never visited their website. The charge was likely from a data breach where my card number was stolen.

I called my credit card company immediately. I told them the charge was unauthorized. They cancelled my card, issued a new one, and initiated a chargeback for the $79. The temporary credit was applied within 24 hours.

The card company investigated for about 30 days. They concluded the charge was indeed unauthorized and made the credit permanent. I never had to pay the $79.

Federal law limits your liability for unauthorized credit card charges to $50. In practice, most card companies waive even that. For debit cards, the protections are weaker. You have 60 days to report unauthorized debit charges or you could lose all the money.

Prevention Tips

Enable transaction alerts on your card so you know immediately when a charge is made. Use virtual card numbers for online purchases. Do not save your card on random websites.

I now use a separate card for online purchases with a low credit limit. If it gets compromised, the damage is limited.