Whenever you see suspicious charges on your Bank of America card or bank statement, chances are that it is an error. However, there is also a chance that it is a case of fraudulent activity on your account. Whatever the case, you should dispute the charges immediately with these helpful tips
Whenever you see suspicious charges on your Bank of America card or bank statement, chances are that it is an error. However, there is also a chance that it is a case of fraudulent activity on your account. Whatever the case, you should dispute the charges immediately.
Regular checking of your Bank of America financial statements is the best way to finding suspicious charges to your account. The first step after spotting the unwarranted charge should be to confirm whether it is an error or a case of fraud. Errors typically consist of the same charge being made twice or the amount of the charge being incorrect. Fraudulent charges will often be clear purchases made in your name but not made by you.
Contact the merchant
In any case, once you verify the state of the charge, you should first contact the merchant who made the charge to dispute it. Contacting the merchant is probably the best and swiftest action you can take to dispute a charge.
The information of the seller including contact information will be located next to each individual charge on your credit card statement which makes it very easy to get in contact with the merchant and dispute the charge. Ensure that the merchant whose transaction you are disputing does not explicitly state that are sales are final on his/her page.
Ask the merchant about the details of the charge to verify its validity or get information about the reason for the overcharge. You may have forgotten about the transaction or made a transaction by mistake. However, if the overcharge is unwarranted, you should try and resolve the dispute with the merchant by offering proof.
If the issue cannot be resolved with the merchant, get in touch with the online retailer and ask them to mediate. Not all disputes will end in successful resolution so act appropriately if you are not refunded but ensure you understand the reason why.
Contact Bank of America
Only after you ascertain that resolution with the merchant is impossible should you contact the credit card company. If the merchant is not responsible for the charge you are disputing then it means that fraud is the cause for charge or transaction to your credit card.
The first step should be locking down your Bank of America account as soon as you think your Bank of America account has been compromised. You should contact Bank of America within 60 days of the date of the charge that you want to dispute.
You can dispute a charge with Bank of America in any of the following ways:
By Phone
You can either call Bank of America's fraud reporting number or their customer service number both of which can be retrieved from GetHuman. Before calling Bank of America ensure you have the following information ready: your full name, your credit card number, date and amount of the disputed charge, name of the merchant as mentioned in your billing statement, all statements related to the dispute, details of any attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant and a description of the unwarranted charge and the reason you think the charge was made. Expect the issue to be resolved within 30 days of the call.
Online
To dispute the fraudulent charge online,
The bank will launch an investigation based on the information you provide.
By Mail
You can write a letter disputing the charge and send it to the Billing Inquiries Department of Bank of America whose address can be found on the bank's website.
You are required to present the same information as with the phone call as listed above. Send the letter within 60 days of the charge and Bank of America will investigate the claim once they receive the letter and reply within 30 days.
Any other Bank of America contacts can be obtained from GetHuman.
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