I was on vacation in Mexico and noticed that I couldn't find my credit card. I asked my husband if he had seen it, and he said no. We tore our hotel room apart looking for the card, and neither of us could locate it anywhere. So, we decided to retrace our steps and realized that the last place we saw it was at a restaurant while we were on a tour. We were devastated but decided to take action immediately to eliminate any unauthorized charges on our credit card. Here's what we did.
I Logged into the Credit Card App
I didn't have a computer nearby, so I pulled up my credit card app to see if any charges had been made. There was one that stuck out, and it occurred the same day that I lost the card. It was to a jewelry store, and the charge was over $800. Well, we didn't go to a jewelry store while we were on the tour, so this immediately set off a red flag for me. I took action immediately and called the credit card company.
Calling the Credit Card Company - Reporting Fraud
It was in the afternoon, so I couldn't get in touch with anyone. I was asked to go through a few prompts and finally got to the section where I could report that my card was used fraudulently. My card was canceled immediately, and I was notified by the recording that I would receive a new card for my authorized users and I within three to five days. The only other authorized user on my account was my daughter, so I immediately told her that she couldn't use her card any longer.
Could My Authorized User Have Made the Charge?
Yes. So, before calling the credit card company, I investigated the charge myself to see where the card had been used. It was summer, so my daughter was school shopping with her grandmother. I reviewed those charges, and yes, some were a little high, but they were all from clothing stores. However, she was in Florida then, and the charge occurred in Mexico. So, that ensured me that she didn't make the purchase.
Calling the Credit Card Company - The Charges Were Reversed
When we arrived back home, I called the credit card company to speak to a representative. The charge was still on my account, so I wanted to ensure that I called within the appropriate timeframe to get the charge reversed. I spoke to the representative and told him my story, and he immediately reversed the charge. He also looked into the account and saw that I had already reported it as lost or stolen and ordered the new cards. He told me that the charge would be investigated and that I would be notified of the final result once the investigation was complete.
It was an unfortunate and stressful situation, but I'm glad it could be resolved and that I didn't have to pay the $800 charge.
See my feature in: Are Americans Afraid of Their Credit Card Debt?