Open your card issuer’s app directly and check whether the transaction appears in your card activity. If you find a purchase you did not authorize or your card details have been exposed, use the available card lock and notify the issuer through an official channel. If you cannot access the app or suspect someone has control of your phone, use another device you trust to find the issuer’s customer service number. Start with the number on the back of your card, if you have it, or the contact details on the issuer’s official website. If you learned about the charge through a message or a call, verify it through a channel you opened yourself.
What to Do in the First Few Minutes
Once you have taken steps to prevent further use, report each suspicious purchase you can already identify to the card issuer through an official channel and ask to open a formal dispute. Keep the case reference number and the date you reported the charge, and check when your bill is due. How far in advance you report it matters when you go to pay the portion you recognize. You may be able to arrange the lock, replacement, and dispute in a single conversation. Confirm which actions the issuer actually recorded. Your card can be locked while one or more charges still need to be formally disputed.
If there are several attempts in quick succession, your card is missing, or you know its details were exposed, lock it before looking for receipts. You can continue checking the transactions afterward. If your only indication is a message about a suspicious purchase and the app shows no such transaction, it can still be worth checking with the issuer, especially if you clicked a link, shared a code, or noticed changes to your account access. A scammer posing as customer support may use the fear of a fictitious charge to get you to authorize a real transaction.
How to Tell Fraud, a Billing Error, and a Forgotten Purchase Apart
An unfamiliar description on your statement gives you a place to start. Compare the amount, currency, purchase time, and card shown with your receipts, orders, and confirmation emails. The name on the statement may belong to the business receiving the payment or to a payment intermediary. A restaurant may appear under its registered company name, for example, while a purchase made through an app may appear under the platform’s name. If there is an additional card on your account, check with the authorized cardholder and find out which card was used for the transaction.
Check whether the amount could be an installment from an older purchase, a subscription renewal, or a temporary authorization. If two entries show the same amount, see whether both actually posted and whether they are tied to different orders. If you recognize the purchase and see two posted charges for the same order, report a possible duplicate charge. If you recognize the order and the issue concerns delivery, cancellation, or a return, describe that disagreement and keep the merchant’s confirmation. The reason recorded for the dispute guides the review and determines which supporting documents are relevant.
People often use the term card cloning to describe several different situations. Someone may have used your card details in an online store, gained access to an account where your card was saved, or added the card to a digital wallet without your authorization. You can still have the physical card in your possession in any of these cases. A foreign-currency charge can also come from a service you use in Brazil. If a brief check still leaves the charge unexplained, tell the issuer what you know. You can dispute the purchase before you find out how someone obtained the card details.
From a Purchase Attempt to a Charge on Your Bill
A card purchase can go through several stages before it appears on your bill. At authorization, the issuer evaluates the transaction and may put a hold on part of your available credit. The merchant may confirm the purchase later. In the meantime, your app may label the transaction as pending, processing, or another term the issuer uses. If the authorization is canceled or expires, the hold may disappear. A declined attempt can also trigger an alert without ever becoming a charge on your bill.
If a suspicious transaction is pending, tell the issuer even if the app does not yet let you dispute that particular entry. Ask the issuer to record the suspicious activity, confirm the card lock, and explain when you will be able to open a dispute. Watch the entry until it disappears or posts as a charge. If it posts, use the details from the posted transaction and give the case reference from your first contact. If it disappears, check your available credit and keep monitoring your card activity. The attempt itself may still indicate that your card details were exposed.
The same distinction helps if a purchase appears after you lock the card. The issuer may have authorized it before the lock, with the charge posting later. Ask the issuer to distinguish the authorization time from the posting time and identify the card or payment credential used. If authorization took place after the lock, ask the issuer to check what the lock covered and whether any additional cards, virtual card numbers, digital wallets, or recurring charges were linked to the account. The answer helps you determine whether you need to extend the lock or add a previously authorized transaction to your dispute.
Locking, Canceling, and Replacing Your Card
A temporary lock can help contain further use. What it covers depends on the card product and the type of transaction. If your card was lost or stolen, or someone misused its details, confirm with the issuer whether it needs to invalidate the payment credential and issue a replacement. Ask whether the lock covers online purchases, cash withdrawals, digital wallets, and recurring payments. If the app provides separate controls, such as a switch for online purchases, tell the issuer which ones you used and ask it to confirm what it did to secure the compromised card.
Tell the issuer where the alert came from if you know. A virtual card may have its own number and may be possible to cancel separately. An additional card may require a separate action. A digital wallet typically uses a payment credential linked to the card, called a token. It may still appear on the list of devices after a change to the physical card. Ask the issuer to review registered devices and revoke any credentials you do not recognize. If you are unsure which card number was used, ask the issuer to identify it by its last digits and by the type of transaction.
Before the card is replaced, identify legitimate payments that depend on it, such as your phone bill, insurance, or a monthly fee. Some merchants may need you to update your payment details yourself, while other charges may continue through services that automatically update the details on file. Follow up on each essential service directly with its provider. If an issuance or delivery fee appears, ask the issuer to explain the amount and reason and confirm whether it recorded the replacement as related to suspected fraud. Confirm that it invalidated the compromised card, and check which linked virtual numbers it canceled and which digital wallet credentials it revoked. If you suspect someone also accessed your account, review signed-in sessions and authorized devices. Keep tracking the disputes for purchases that have already taken place.
If Someone Posed as Customer Support, Accessed Your Device Remotely, or You Lost Your Phone
Scammers may call shortly after an alert and offer to walk you through a supposed security procedure. End the call and contact the issuer using details you already know or find independently. Never read out your password, card security code, or an authentication code sent to your phone. An approval in the app can authorize a purchase, link a digital wallet, or allow another device to access your account. If the screen shows an action you did not initiate, decline it. A transfer to a supposed safe account can itself be the fraudulent transaction.
If you installed remote access software, gave someone a code, or let someone see your screen, use a device you trust to notify the financial institution and ask it to review active sessions and authorized devices. Secure the email account you use for account recovery, change any exposed or reused passwords, review your recovery options, and sign out of unfamiliar sessions where the service allows it. If your phone is missing or you suspect someone has taken control of your mobile line, contact your carrier and use the security features for the phone’s account from a safe device. Avoid opening financial apps on the phone in question until you regain control of it.
Check whether your phone number or email address was changed, whether anyone added the card to a wallet, and whether there were transfers or other debits. Identify each transaction by type and report it through the channel that handles it. Dispute a credit card purchase through the card billing process. A transfer or a debit from your bank account needs to be handled separately, even if the same scam set everything in motion. Tell the support team what you saw, shared, installed, or approved. If you were tricked into approving something, describe exactly what the screen showed and what the person told you the action would do.
How to Open a Dispute You Can Track
List each transaction using the name shown in your card activity, the amount, the time of purchase, and the last digits of the card. For a foreign-currency transaction, keep a record of the amount in the original currency and the equivalent in Brazilian reais if the entry shows it. For a purchase made in installments, include the number of installments and the total shown, along with the individual installment that appeared on your bill. Explain whether you had the card with you and whether you lost a device, received a scam message, or experienced anything else relevant. If all you know is that you do not recognize the transaction, say so.
You can start by saying that you found a charge you did not authorize, giving the amount and the last digits of the card, and asking the issuer to open a formal dispute. Ask the representative to confirm which transactions are covered by that case reference and whether any purchase needs a separate case. If you see another charge while the first one is being reviewed, ask how to add it or open a new case linked to the first. An answer about one purchase may cover that purchase alone, even when several charges appear under the same description.
Before you end the conversation, get the case reference number, the recorded date of your report, the channel for following up, the expected response time, and instructions for sending documents. Ask how the dispute will appear on the bill once the billing cycle closes and whether any scheduled automatic debit will be adjusted. If you receive conflicting instructions, ask the institution to specify which one applies to your billing cycle and to provide that answer in writing if the channel allows it. These details help you distinguish the acknowledgment of your request, any temporary adjustment, and the decision on the purchase itself.
Which Records to Keep and What to Share
Make a simple timeline of when you noticed the transaction, when you locked the card, when you disputed the charge, and what you received each time you contacted the issuer. Keep the bill and clear screenshots from the app showing the merchant, the amount, the status, and the partial card number. Save the versions of your bill from before and after any adjustment. A payment receipt helps you distinguish money that actually left your bank account from a card credit that simply reduced the amount due.
Choose evidence that relates to the issue. If you had already canceled a subscription, keep the cancellation confirmation and the original order. If you received a scam message, save its text and the sender details without opening links or attachments. If the issuer says the purchase was made in person, a record of where you traveled may help explain the circumstances. For an online purchase, the most useful questions are often which account placed the order, what authentication method was used, and whether there is delivery confirmation. If you received no confirmation email, mention that as context and recognize that it can establish only so much on its own.
Keep the original records somewhere secure and send only relevant material through an official channel. You can hide unrelated transactions and unnecessary personal information in the copy you submit while leaving the details that identify the disputed charge visible. Avoid sending photos of the front or back of your card. When reporting a case, the last digits shown on the statement and the transaction details are usually enough, along with any identity verification conducted through the issuer’s secure procedure. Keep passwords and authorization codes to yourself.
What the Issuer Can Investigate and How to Respond if Your Dispute Is Denied
The issuer may gather information from its own records, from the merchant, and from the parties that processed the purchase. The information may include the purchase channel, the authentication result, how the card details were entered, whether a digital wallet was linked, the subscription history, and delivery records. A dispute is the request you make to the issuer. A chargeback is a process that participants in the payment arrangement may use to resolve a disputed transaction. Filing your request, invoking that process, and reaching a decision are separate events.
If the answer mentions a chip, PIN, approval in the app, or another authentication method, ask the issuer to explain which transaction was confirmed, through which channel, and with which credential, to the extent it can share that information. Authentication is one piece of evidence in the review. In a fake customer support scam, for example, someone may have tricked you into giving a genuine approval. Describe the sequence of events and ask the issuer to consider the circumstances. If the response says the order was delivered, check whether the address or the account that placed the order is yours and ask about any discrepancy you find.
If the issuer denies your dispute, ask for a reason for each charge and find out where to request a review. Separate the reason the issuer gave from any information you can provide to clarify what happened. A response saying only that the purchase was authenticated leaves open what authentication took place and how it relates to your account of events. If the issue concerns a subscription, it may help to provide confirmation that you canceled it or show that the charge belongs to a different account. A review can focus on the issue more directly when you identify a specific difference between the issuer’s findings and your records.
How to Separate a Disputed Charge from the Rest of Your Bill
In consumer transactions, Article 54-G(I) of Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code allows you to deduct a disputed purchase from the statement and pay the undisputed amount while the dispute remains unresolved, provided you notify the card administrator at least ten days before the statement is due. In those circumstances, collection and account debits for the disputed amount are suspended while the dispute continues, and the amount is excluded from the next statement’s total due. The issuer may apply an equivalent provisional credit while the dispute is investigated. Separate the statement total, the amount you recognize, and the disputed amount to check the adjustment.
Check the final bill for the cycle to see whether the amount due already reflects the removal of the charge or a provisional credit. If the total already reflects the adjustment, pay that amount so the purchase is deducted only once. If you use automatic debit, confirm the scheduled amount and ask the issuer to correct it if it still includes the disputed portion under the conditions described above. If you pay another way, check how to prevent a second payment through automatic debit and keep the payment receipt. Making the minimum payment can leave part of the balance you recognize outstanding and subject to the card’s financing terms.
If you reported the dispute fewer than ten days before the due date, or still need to establish when you notified the issuer, contact it through an official channel and explain that the matter is urgent. Ask for written confirmation of how the charge will be handled in that billing cycle, including what to pay, what amount is scheduled for automatic debit, and any fees or interest that may apply. The dispute can continue even if you did not meet the advance notice requirement for deducting the amount under Article 54-G, item I. If the issuer keeps the charge on the bill despite receiving notice in time, request an adjustment and keep the records. If the discrepancy continues, take the bill and case references to a consumer protection channel.
A Sample Bill with a Provisional Credit
Suppose a hypothetical bill includes R$ 1,260 in purchases you recognize and two disputed charges of R$ 180 and R$ 560. The disputed amount is R$ 740, and the bill totals R$ 2,000 before any adjustments. Say the issuer posts a provisional credit of R$ 740 in the same billing cycle. The credit brings the amount due down to R$ 1,260, which you pay. If the issuer upholds both disputes and makes the existing credit final, the bill already reflects the full adjustment. A second credit of R$ 740 would count the same adjustment twice.
Now suppose you make that same R$ 1,260 payment and the issuer upholds the dispute for R$ 180 but denies the dispute for R$ 560. If the issuer reverses only the part of the provisional credit that it denied, R$ 560 goes back onto your bill. The issuer might instead show two separate entries, one reversing the full R$ 740 and one posting a final credit of R$ 180. The net effect is the same R$ 560 charge. In this example, before any fees, interest, or new purchases, you would bear a total cost of R$ 1,820, made up of the R$ 1,260 you already paid and the R$ 560 charged again. You can still challenge the denial through the applicable channels.
In another scenario, the R$2,000 statement was paid in full before any adjustment and the issuer upheld both disputes. The R$740 credit is applied to the next cycle. With R$900 of new recognized expenses and no other adjustments, R$160 remains due in that cycle. Total payments of R$2,160 equal R$1,260 plus R$900 of recognized expenses. The difference is timing: the first payment required R$2,000 in cash.
Installment Purchases, Refunds, and Charges That Reappear
For a purchase made in installments, track the full transaction as well as the installment billed in each cycle. In a separate hypothetical example, an unfamiliar R$ 900 purchase was split into six installments of R$ 150. If you already paid the first installment and the final adjustment credits back R$ 150 and cancels the next five installments, the full correction comes to R$ 900. The other R$ 750 represents amounts you will no longer be charged. You may see those amounts reflected in the cancellation of the future installments without receiving a deposit into your bank account.
The issuer or merchant may also credit the full R$ 900 at once while the five remaining installments stay visible. With R$ 150 already paid and R$ 750 still to be posted, the R$ 900 credit would offset the full purchase. Both approaches produce the same overall result for the transaction in this example, with the effects on your bills and cash flow falling at different times. Ask the issuer which approach it used. If you see a reversal, check which credit was reversed and whether there is a separate entry that offsets it.
If the merchant promises to refund the amount directly, save its confirmation with the order identifier and watch for the credit to post. Tell the issuer if you already have a dispute open so the two processes can be reconciled. If you see a merchant credit and a provisional credit from the issuer at the same time, label them separately in your records. A reversal of the provisional credit may simply remove a duplicate refund. If the amounts differ or the credit relates to a different order, ask for clarification before treating the case as closed.
How to Protect Your Budget While Money Is in Dispute
A transaction can affect your available credit and the money in your bank account at different times. An authorization may reduce your available credit before the purchase appears on your bill, and a refund may come through as a credit on your card account after you have already paid the charge. Track your available bank balance, the essential expenses you need to cover until your next confirmed income, the amount due on your bill, and any amount you may recover after the review. Keeping these figures separate lets you plan around the money you have while a credit may still be reversed or may only be available to offset future card purchases.
Return to the hypothetical R$2,000 statement, including R$740 in dispute. If R$1,500 is set aside for this due date, paying the R$1,260 undisputed amount leaves R$240. In a separate scenario with the same R$1,500 reserve, a R$2,000 debit would leave a R$500 shortfall. Check the scheduled debit and request an adjustment when the dispute was reported within the stated notice period. A credit applied in a later cycle cannot cover the cash shortfall on this due date.
If you have no available credit on the card, identify the upcoming expenses that depend on it. You may need to update the payment method for an essential service, agree on a payment date with a provider, or put off a purchase you have yet to make. If you are considering paying the bill in installments or using another form of credit, ask for a breakdown of the balance, the total cost, and what happens if your dispute is later upheld. If interest or fees associated with the disputed charge appear, record them separately and ask the issuer to explain how it calculated them and to review the adjustment alongside the original transaction.
When to Request a Review, Use Another Channel, or File a Police Report
Use your case reference to follow up on the expected response time and any requests for documents. If the case stalls, the response overlooks some of the purchases, or the issuer denies the dispute without a clear reason, ask the issuer to review it. Identify the transactions involved, the decision already made, what still needs to be clarified, and the outcome you are requesting. Your request can cover both the original purchase and related charges, such as an installment that was billed again or fees or interest added during the review.
If the initial customer service channel does not resolve the issue, look at the issuer’s formal complaint channels, including its ombudsman service, known in Brazil as the ouvidoria, where applicable. You can also check consumer protection channels such as your local Procon. Each channel serves a different purpose. A complaint can refer the matter for further review or guidance and may have a case reference separate from the card dispute. Keep both references and continue checking your bill. If the issue persists or has a significant impact, such as continued collection of a disputed amount, legal advice specific to your situation may help you assess the case.
A police report, known in Brazil as a boletim de ocorrência, may be relevant in cases of theft, loss followed by misuse, a fake customer support scam, unauthorized account access, or misuse of your identity. The report records your account of what happened with the authorities. The card issuer continues to handle the charge dispute and card security measures. If the issuer asks for the police report, ask how to submit it and keep a record of the request. You can lock the card and report the suspicious activity immediately while you collect the documents. If you take the matter to another channel, keep the timeline intact and share only the information needed to identify the situation.
How to Check Whether the Case Is Fully Resolved
A message saying that the case has been completed may refer to the whole case or to just one transaction. Check the decision for each purchase and compare what the issuer said it would do with what appears on the bill. For disputes the issuer upheld, look for the credit, the removal of the charge, or confirmation that a provisional credit became final. For disputes it denied, check whether the charge reappeared, which cycle it appeared in, and whether any fees or interest were added. If you are still waiting for an answer on a transaction, follow up on that particular item using its case reference.
Also check how much money actually left your bank account and how much credit became available again on the card. If the institution said it would send the money back to your bank account, look for the credit on your bank statement. If it said it would reduce your card bill, look for the adjustment on the card account. A rise in available credit may come from the release of an authorization hold and has a different effect from a refund of money you already paid. If the purchase involved installments, follow the relevant billing cycles to see whether the actual installment schedule matches the issuer’s response.
For the security measures, confirm what happened to your old card, the affected virtual cards, and any digital wallet credentials you did not recognize. Check the legitimate services for which you had to update your payment information and verify the first payment using the new details. Keep the decision, bills, payment receipts, and latest case reference together. If the same merchant charges you again, these records help you distinguish a scheduled installment, a contract renewal, and a new transaction that needs to be investigated.
Protecting Online Purchases and Recurring Payments
If your issuer offers a virtual card, check how it works before deciding where to use it. A number with limited use, where offered, may suit a one-off purchase. A reusable virtual card can make subscriptions easier to manage if you know which providers use it. If a number needs replacing, keeping those uses separate helps you identify the services affected. Limits and controls vary, and someone can misuse a virtual payment credential if they obtain its details or gain access to the account.
Keep a short list of active subscriptions with the amount you expect to pay, the name that appears on the bill, and where to go to cancel. If you decide to end a service, cancel it with the provider and keep the confirmation. Replacing the card can stop some payments, while others can continue through an update to the payment details on file. Any obligation under the service contract is a separate matter. To investigate a charge after cancellation, compare the period covered by the charge with the confirmation you received and ask the provider to identify where the charge came from.
When shopping online, go to the store through a web address you have checked or through its official app. A secure connection helps protect data while it is being transmitted. You still need to assess the seller itself. Check the amount, any installment terms, and whether the purchase includes automatic renewal before confirming. Avoid saving payment details on shared computers. If you receive an unexpected message about a delivery or a charge, check the order directly in your account with the store before providing any information.
Protecting Your Physical Card and Digital Accounts
When paying in person, check the amount on the terminal before tapping or inserting your card. If someone asks you to try again after an apparent failure, look at the terminal and, if you can, check your card activity in the app before repeating the payment. An alert may relate to a pending authorization. Keep the receipt if you are unsure whether you were charged twice. When withdrawing cash or paying with a PIN, shield the keypad as you enter it and keep your card in view. If someone else handles the card, check the last digits and the name when you get it back.
Use a screen lock on your phone, keep the operating system and apps up to date, and use distinct passwords for your financial accounts and email. Add another layer of authentication where available and review linked devices, particularly after you replace or lose a phone. If someone asks you to share your screen, install an app, or approve something they describe as a security measure, end the conversation and contact the institution through a channel you find independently. Read what you are authorizing before approving any transaction or action.
Purchase alerts can help you spot activity, including declined attempts and small charges. They depend on your settings and on whether the notification reaches you. Use alerts alongside regular checks of your card activity and your final bill for each cycle. Keep receipts for purchases that may be hard to identify later, such as orders made through a platform or purchases split across several payments. If someone else uses an additional card on your account, agree on how to confirm a charge quickly and how to notify the primary cardholder if the card goes missing. That way you can check a transaction promptly without sharing card photos or passwords.
Frequently asked questions.
I received an alert about a declined purchase. Do I need to dispute it?
Check the app or contact the issuer through its official customer service channel to find out whether it was a declined attempt, a pending authorization, or a posted charge. A declined attempt may leave no charge to dispute, but it can still indicate that someone tried to use your payment credential. Report the suspicious activity, confirm which card was used, and ask the issuer whether to lock or replace it. If the transaction is pending, follow it until you know whether the authorization was canceled or the charge posted to your bill.
I still have my card. Could it be fraud?
Yes. Someone can use your card details for an online purchase without having the physical card. Someone could also have gained unauthorized access to a store account or digital wallet. Tell the issuer that you had the card with you and ask it to identify the channel and payment credential used. That information helps you decide whether to secure the physical card, a virtual card number, a digital wallet, or access to your account.
The unfamiliar charge is for a very small amount. Is it worth reporting?
Yes. Compare the charge with receipts and temporary authorizations you recognize. If it is still unexplained, tell the issuer even if it has little impact on your budget. The amount alone tells you little about where the transaction came from, and an attempt for a small amount can indicate that someone has obtained the payment credential. Report what you found and ask the issuer to check for other attempts using the same card.
Do I need to contact the merchant before speaking to the issuer?
If you suspect unauthorized use, lock the card and contact the issuer first. A merchant you recognize may be able to explain the name on your statement or find an order, and you can follow up with the merchant after taking steps to prevent further use. If you recognize the purchase and the issue involves delivery, cancellation, or duplicate billing, contacting the merchant can give you important records. In either case, use contact details you obtain independently of any suspicious message.
Can I deduct the disputed amount myself?
In consumer transactions, Article 54-G(I) of Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code allows you to deduct a disputed purchase from the statement and pay the undisputed amount while the dispute remains unresolved, provided you notify the card administrator at least ten days before the statement is due. Check whether a provisional credit has already reduced the amount due, so you deduct the charge only once. Keep the case reference and the date you notified the administrator. Use an official channel so you can track the report. If you gave less notice, confirm how the charge will be treated on the due date and check the automatic debit schedule.
My bill shows a credit. Does that mean my dispute was upheld?
Check whether the credit is provisional, final, or issued by the merchant. A provisional credit can reduce the amount due during the review and can be reversed in full or in part. If the issuer confirms that it upheld the dispute, check whether the existing credit already serves as the final adjustment and whether any future installments are still associated with the purchase. If you already paid the bill, check where the refund was applied and how it affects your balance.
The issuer says the purchase was authenticated. What can I do?
Ask for the specific reason for the decision and ask which authentication method was used for the transaction. Compare the answer with what happened and request a review if you find a discrepancy. If someone tricked you into approving an action, describe what you saw on the screen, what the person said, and the order in which things happened. If the response remains vague, take the decision, case reference, and relevant documents to the issuer’s formal review channel or to a consumer protection channel.
The expected response date has passed and I still have no answer. What should I do?
Follow up using the case reference. Ask for the status of each disputed charge, details of any documents still needed, and a new response date on record. If a bill is coming due, ask separately how to handle the payment. Use the formal complaint channels if you still cannot get a clear answer. The response date recorded for your case gives you a basis for following up on progress. Any question about a contractual deadline or a consumer right depends on the circumstances and the rules that apply to the case.
References and context
Institutional reference points for checking applicable rules and guidance. Calculations and scenarios are original examples, not quotes, historical results or individualized recommendations.
- Código de Defesa do Consumidor, arts. 52, 54-B e 54-G ↗
- Banco Central — Cartão de crédito ↗
- Banco Central — Golpes e transações com cartão ↗
AI-assisted educational content. Decisions require verification of the information, instruments and providers in each actual case.
