What can you do about fraudulent credit card charges?
Sophia Koch
Updated on February 19, 2026
- 5 steps to take if you’re a victim of credit card fraud.
- Call your credit card company immediately.
- Check your credit card accounts and change your passwords.
- Notify the credit bureaus and call the police if necessary.
- Monitor your statements and credit reports.
- Check your online shopping accounts.
Does discover cover fraudulent charges?
All Discover Cardmembers are protected with our $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee, which means you’re never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your Discover card.
Who is responsible for fraudulent credit card transactions?
“The bank is more likely to be liable for the fraud for card-present transactions, while the merchant might get stuck with the cost for transactions without a physical card.” The rules on liability are dictated by the credit card network the transaction used, such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover.
Do I have to pay for fraudulent charges on my credit card?
In the event that your credit card is stolen in the United States, federal law limits the liability of cardholders to $50, regardless of the amount charged on the card by the unauthorized user.
How long do I have to dispute a charge Discover?
As soon as you dispute a credit card charge with Discover, Discover will start investigating the charge. Discover will have 90 days, by law, to resolve your dispute, but most disputes are resolved within 30-60 days. Once your dispute is resolved, you should get a letter or email explaining the outcome.
How long do Discover disputes take?
between 30-60 days
How long will the entire dispute process take? Depending on the nature of your dispute, the process usually takes between 30-60 days. However, more complex disputes may take more time to resolve.
When to dispute a credit card fraud charge?
Consumers have the right to dispute a credit card purchase, whether it was posted in error, fraudulent in nature, or if the merchant didn’t provide satisfactory goods or services. Challenge fraud charges immediately, but only file other types of disputes as soon as you made an effort to resolve the issue with the merchant.
What to do if you are a victim of credit card fraud?
Notify the credit bureaus and call the police if necessary Filing a police report is especially crucial if you see a pattern of fraudulent charges in the days following the first signs of suspicious activity. Sometimes credit card fraud can happen all at once, and other times it might be days or weeks apart.
What’s the maximum amount you can be liable for for credit card fraud?
If someone uses your credit card for a purchase that you didn’t authorize, that’s fraud. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the maximum amount a cardholder can be liable for unauthorized credit card use is $50.
When to report an unauthorized charge on a credit card?
You could be liable for the charges if too much time passes from the time the charge is made to the time you report it. Specifically, the Fair Credit Billing Act says that you should report unauthorized charges and other credit card billing errors to your card issuer within 60 days of the date the statement containing the error was mailed. 2