While reviewing your credit card statement, you suddenly notice a transaction you never made. What would you think in that case? Is your card going shopping while you sleep?
So how could this happen? Let's consider the possibilities:
- Your card information may have been compromised by someone else. This is actually the most likely possibility. In this case, the first thing you should do is call your card-issuing bank to learn the transaction details, and if it looks risky, block your card in the authorization system. You will also need to file a chargeback (dispute) request for the relevant transaction.
- It is hard to remember every single transaction in a given statement period one by one. There may be a transaction that you made but simply don't remember. You should review the transaction date, time, and amount again and make sure the transaction really wasn't made by you.
- For a transaction to appear on your card statement, the POS terminal where it was made must have completed its batch (end of day) process. Because the POS terminal ran its batch (end of day) late, a transaction that should have appeared on an earlier statement may instead appear on your next statement. Since a long time has passed, you may have simply forgotten about it.
- The company's registered trade name may appear differently from the business name shown on your statement. Because the name is different, you might think the transaction wasn't made by you. (For example, a purchase made at "ABC Clothing" might appear on your statement as "XYZ Trading.") In this case, you should take the transaction date and amount into account as well to make sure whether or not the transaction was made by you.
- There may be an extra amount charged by the bank (for example, a card fee, etc.). In this case, you can call the bank and request that the fee be canceled. Some banks offer certain conditions in exchange for this fee. For example: spend 100 TL every month for 5 months and we'll give you points equal to the card fee charged to you. Some banks won't cancel the fee but will instead offer you fee-free products. Some banks cancel it unconditionally.
So is there a specific time limit for disputing this type of transaction made on your card without your knowledge?
Since the transaction above was not made by the cardholder, the dispute period is at most 120 calendar days from the date the transaction was posted to the card (the statement date).
Will the bank refund this transaction?
If the transaction was made online without 3D Secure, it will be refunded. If the transaction was made online with 3D Secure, getting a refund becomes quite difficult. This is because, during the transaction, an SMS was sent to the customer; since the transaction was verified with the password sent via SMS, a refund becomes considerably harder in this case.
In cases where the bank does not process a refund, since your credit card was used without your knowledge and without your consent, you can file a complaint petition with the public prosecutor's office.
If the transaction was carried out after your card information was compromised, your first step should be to close your card.
In fact, it would be useful to change some of the habits you have when using your card.
For example;
- When you hand your card to a cashier while shopping, make sure your card is only ever swiped or inserted through the POS terminal.
- When shopping online, be careful to shop only on secure websites.
- Do not click on risky content coming from email or other channels; be careful when filling out forms that request card information.
- For online purchases, it is advisable to use a virtual card. The virtual card limit should be reset to zero after the transaction.
