How to Find Out Who Charged Your Credit Card Online

Unrecognized charges on a credit card statement can be confusing. Understanding how to investigate and resolve these debits is an important financial practice. Taking prompt action protects your financial interests and ensures unauthorized transactions are addressed swiftly.

Examining Your Credit Card Statement

The first step in identifying an unfamiliar online charge involves a thorough review of your credit card statement or online transaction history. Carefully examine each entry, paying close attention to the transaction date, the exact amount, and the merchant name or billing descriptor provided. This descriptor is the specific text that appears on your statement and identifies the entity that processed the charge.

Merchant names are often abbreviated, or a transaction might be listed under a parent company’s name. For example, a purchase from a small online shop might appear under its payment processor. A subscription service might also use a different billing name than its consumer-facing brand. Scrutinizing these details can often reveal the source of an unfamiliar charge.

Compare the transaction date with your recent activities. Recall any online purchases, free trial sign-ups, or recurring services initiated around that time. The combination of the date, amount, and billing descriptor provides valuable clues for your investigation. Identifying discrepancies early can prevent further issues.

Investigating Unfamiliar Online Charges

After reviewing your statement, investigate any remaining unfamiliar charges. Begin by using a search engine to look up the exact billing descriptor, charge amount, and date. This often reveals the true merchant, especially if the name is obscure or abbreviated. Many businesses have dedicated pages explaining their billing descriptors.

Check your personal email accounts for receipts, order confirmations, or subscription notices that match the transaction details. Online retailers, digital service providers, and subscription services send email confirmations for purchases, free trial sign-ups, or recurring charges. These emails often contain the official merchant name and contact information, which can clarify the charge’s origin. Reviewing archived emails, even those in spam folders, can yield surprising results.

Consider recent purchases made through app stores or digital marketplaces, as these transactions might also appear with unique billing descriptors. Access the purchase history within your Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or other digital storefront accounts. Many digital content subscriptions or in-app purchases can be easily overlooked but are clearly documented in these histories.

Ask other authorized users or household members about recent online purchases. A family member might have made a legitimate purchase that you do not recognize. Common reasons for initially unfamiliar charges include automatic free trial conversion, annual service renewal, or a purchase from a parent company billing under a different name. Identifying these common scenarios can quickly resolve many unrecognized transactions.

Contacting Your Card Issuer

If, after thorough investigation, you cannot identify a charge or suspect fraud, contact your credit card issuer. Most card companies offer multiple reporting methods, including a phone number on your card, an online portal, or a mobile application. Initiate this contact promptly, as consumer protection regulations, such as the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), require disputes to be reported within 60 days of the statement date on which the error first appeared.

When contacting your issuer, have all relevant information readily available. This includes the transaction date, exact amount, and the specific billing descriptor as it appeared on your statement. State that you do not recognize the charge and have completed your own investigation without success. The representative will guide you through formally disputing the transaction.

Upon receiving your dispute, the credit card company will initiate an investigation, which can take 30 to 90 days. They may provide a temporary credit to your account for the disputed amount. You might be asked to provide additional documentation as their investigation progresses. If the investigation concludes the charge was unauthorized, the temporary credit becomes permanent, and the charge is removed from your account.