At a minimum, the scam web sites make the monthly subscription charges hard to find. In many cases, the trial period and associated charges are purposefully hidden.
The assumption on this page is that you were not aware of the trial period and the charges – AND – that you have tried to work with the company that charged you first.
1. Dispute the Charge
Call your bank or card issuer right away. In the case of fraudulent charges online, this is all that is required. However, I recommend a letter to the disputes department as well. It is important to document that you were not expecting this charge, and this is not a case where you knowingly signed up for a trial period of the service.
You Have 60 Days – in the U.S Fair Credit Reporting Act specifies that a dispute must be filed within 60 days of the charge. I get many notes from readers that have a statement such as “ I have been getting charged for the last 3 months” … At that point there is no legal basis to make a dispute.
The bank needs to acknowledge the dispute, and investigate – they have 90 days.
2. Cancel your card
Have the bank issue you a new one. Remember that if you have subscriptions or recurring billing to your card from other merchants, you will need to visit each merchant and change the card number. This is inconvenient, but the only way to assure that you will not be charged further and that your credit card number will not be shared.
3. Know your rights
The US Fair Credit Billing Act limits your liability to $50. To ensure this right you must notify the bank in writing within 60 days of receipt of the credit card statement. The card issuer must investigate all properly filed disputes.
Over and above the US Federal Law, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express have Zero Liability Policies in the case of fraudulent use, but you must call your credit card issuer right away. If you waited 3 months, that is a problem.
It could take a few months, so a little patience is needed. You do not have to pay the fraudulent amount while the charge is being investigated.
If the bank will not reverse the charges, you have the right to challenge the findings. The procedure will be covered in your cardholder agreement. However, it can start to get expensive, and damage your credit if you do not pay the charge. Chances are the bank is just going to reverse the charges and you will be done. If not, pay the balance, close the card, and find a new bank. Lessons learned. Actions speak.
4. Sign up for a Credit Monitoring Service
The credit monitoring service will help protect against identity theft.
The fact that a foreign company has your credit card means you are at risk of Identity Theft. Remember, we do not really know who has your financial information. The stated privacy policy on the sites reveal that risk in plain language. In the US, state laws generally require measures to prevent a breach, and reactive measures if there is a breach, including notifying you if your data was compromised. The foreign merchant who has your card is not obligated under these laws.
Additionally, the merchant can pull your credit report and any information in it. The FCRA specifically allows this “in connection with a business transaction initiated by you.” I do not know if the white label service company has this information.
Make Sure Your Antivirus Software is Up to Date
Some of the scam date verification sites try to put code on your computer. The sites are often blocked by my antivirus software and I have to override it to see what is going on (please don’t do this by the way). There are so many of these sites that come and go, I do not know what is out there.
Final Thoughts
You need to act with urgency. Call your bank now. Be open and honest about what happened. Yes it is a little embarrassing. Banks like transparency and full disclosure.
Narrative and Dispute Letter
Note that this could be a dating service, or an adult service, so adjust your language accordingly.
Sample Narrative
I would like to cancel my credit card and report a fraudulent charge on my account.
If they haven’t already, the service representative will execute a Know Your Customer (KYC) procedure. If you did not call the fraud department directly, you might end up doing this more than once. Don’t get annoyed if this is repetitive – it is for your security and benefit.
The amount of the charge is $______ from _____
I am asking that the charges be removed, that any finance and other charges related to the fraudulent amount be credited as well.
I believe that I fell victim to an online dating scam. It is a complex date verification scam that stated there would be no charge if I verified with my credit card. They do this by presenting one site, but hidden underneath it really was [the scam site on your card]. They site signed me up for a trial period of a dating service without my knowledge, then began billing me. The site did not disclose that I was being signed up for a trial dating service. I want to make clear, I was not aware this was happening, and did not authorize this charge to my account.
[Optional: This web page describes the scam in detail. Tell the service representative to search the phrase “Ronin Eternales Unauthorized Credit Card Charges.” I am asserting that this happened to me.]
Ask for a confirmation of your request.
If they ask you to try and work it out with the company, you should refuse.
Re-iterate that this a case of a fraudulent charge, you did not authorize it, and you have no relationship with this company, and that you did not agree to sign up for any trial period of any service. You want no further interaction with them due to the risk of identity theft. Also point out that the site is run by a foreign company and has a “high risk privacy policy.”
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Here is a link to the Credit Card Fraud Customer Service Numbers for the top 18 credit card issuers in the U.S. You can just click on your bank’s number and be connected.
Sample Letter
[Date]
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your City, State, Zip Code]
[Your Account Number]
[Name of Bank/Card Issuer]
[Billing Inquiries]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to report a fraudulent charge on my account in the amount of [ $______] from _____
I believe that I fell victim to an online dating scam. It is a complex date verification scam that stated there would be no charge if I verified with my credit card. They do this by presenting one site, but hidden underneath it really was [the scam site on your card]. The site signed me up for a trial period of a dating service without my knowledge, then began billing me. The site did not disclose that I was being signed up for a trial dating service. I want to make clear, I was not aware this was happening, and did not authorize this charge to my account.
I have investigated this company, and I am very concerned with identity theft because the web site is run by a foreign company, and has a high risk security policy. Accordingly I have also asked your customer service to cancel my card and issue a new one.
Please remove the charge, and any finance and other charges related to the fraudulent amount. Also, please issue a statement that reflects this action.
Please investigate this matter and correct the problem as soon as possible.
Thank you,
[Your name]