Do you check every charge on your CC bill--and question any you don't recognize?

I used to check. Now I don’t because it is difficult to dispute a charge ( in my case I had two subscriptions that automatically renew for ~$20/month, even when I lost my email address and passwords to the two businesses on my desktop computer that I no longer have)

I need to access a library computer, and printer, to start the arduous task to the fraud department in my credit card. I don’t know what to do. In the end of March I might get some help, with the anxiety, with doing that.

I know that it is a first world problem. It registers with me as a logic error or division by zero.

I query any charge I don’t recognise. The last time was a direct debit for the National Lottery as a new company had taken over payments. (Without telling me)

I look them over. There were some erroneous large charges for shipping in New Orleans a few years ago that was fraudulent and someone used my Macy’s card to charge costume jewelry all over Long Island. Idon’t panic but Ido check.

I don’t have credit cards, but I do look over my credit union statement. Once I had to call the fraud dept at the c.u. and they got my money back – it was a small amount, but the company would have kept charging every month if I didn’t stop them.

If I had a credit card I would definitely at least scan the statement for things I didn’t recognize and pursue it. I’ve heard that scammers will charge a small amount to see if it goes through. If it does, it tells them that it’s a valid account and they’ll charge much larger amounts.

I try to be good about it. I usually check every month for three or four months, and then I miss a month or two, and then go back and catch up. I don’t know why everything feels so overwhelming now, I guess it might be getting older. When I was younger I always checked, but in the last few years it’s a struggle. It would be hard for me to notice a Walmart or Publix charge that wasn’t mine if it was where I live, but an unfamiliar retailer would likely stand out to me.

Yes, I have. A few times, it’s been fraud. Other times, it’s been something I just didn’t recognize but that was correct. Sometimes the names that show up don’t look much like what they’re really for.

I don’t think I remember erroneous credits to my bank accounts.

I don’t, but one card I don’t use very rarely, so the balance should always be zero and if it’s not, it’s a red flag, and the other card, I have the settings set to where I get an email alert whenever the card is charged without the actual card being present. Therefore, my “in person” charges are always legit, and when I shop online or something is billed through the computer or me calling up and giving my card number for something, I get the email. That way, if anybody else ever gets hold of my card number and makes some charges, I’d get the email and I could dispute it and cancel the card right away.

I scan the charges to see if there are any that seem odd. Interestingly, the ones I find that are bogus are not over $50, but rather something very minor. $4 or $5 dollars. I don’t find them often, but the red flag is where the charges are. When they are from some place I have not been I get to digging deeper. I have found one or two that were bogus and reported them immediately.

Everyday!
Every card, every bank account.

I also will file disputes on anything that is not correct.

Yes I check every charge on my Citi Master Card.

I use to have a Capital One Master Card. I liked their wallet application. But one day I noticed that literally hundreds of low dollar Amazon purchase were suddenly made on my card. I immediately called Capital One to report the fraudulent purchases and cancelled my credit card. Capital One sent me a new credit card. But as soon as I activated the new credit card, again instantly dozens and dozens of new Amazon purchases appeared. Again I immediately called Capital One to report that new fraudulent purchases and cancel the credit card. I told Capital One to NOT send me another credit card. I heard that an employee at Capital One made the purchases. I didn’t have to pay for any of it.

What’s in your wallet? HA!

@gondwanalon This is one reason why I have a minimum number of credit cards. I could have more – I get offers all the time and I used to have another card which I canceled, so I only have two now. One is the primary one I use and one is a backup just in case. I feel the more cards you have, the more you need to keep track of. With just a few, it’s less to deal with and worry about.

A friend that had their card hacked told me the authorities told her that sometimes the thief starts out charging a few small dollar items to see if they have been discovered yet. When those go through, they start charging pricier items.
So, I look at all items on my credit card and debit card. I have disputed a couple times in my life, but it is always something I have forgotten that I spent.

Usually if I see things on the card, I see the time and place, and I can put myeslf back to that and it’s not a problem.

I have heard that also, @chyna that they charge a few dollars and see if it goes through. With my cc company emailing me for every charge where the card is not present, it gives me the opportunity to catch it right away and stop the card or dispute it. I have only had it happen once, and it was a Microsoft charge and I called the cc company to dispute. They said it was better to cancel and dispute than to just dispute, given those circumstances, so I did.

Once, a long time ago, like 20 years ago, I used to receive Sports Illustrated in the mail. I hadn’t signed up for it so I thought maybe it was free for some reason, like a bonus from another subscription or something. Then I looked at some old credit card bills and saw the charge for it. I called my cc company and apparently, when I signed up for something “free” at Yankee Stadium, where I got a free Yankees blanket, it came with an automatic subscription (and charge) for Sports Illustrated. I called my cc company right away, even though the subscription was something that I inadvertently signed up for about 6 months prior, and the cc company took the charge off my card.

I do. I got charged $615 from “LinkdIn” in January, told the credit card company and they backed it out and sent me a new card.

Normally, I don’t go over my bill. However, I do go in & set up my account to send me a notification of every new charge in real time. I find it much easier to remember what I’ve just bought if I actually have just bought it & I am much more convincing in the where I am & why it would be impossible to be where the charge was made. It doesn’t happen often but I’ve NOT had any problem settling my dispute when I started using this method. I can also request a notification over a particular dollar amount. I can be out using my card & receive a notification while using the card. A quick call seems to help resolve any problem.

I don’t find checking it monthly when the bill comes in onerous. I would probably find it onerous to get pinged every time I use a card. When I do go over the monthly bill, I just look for whether the charges are from my usual vendors and don’t set off any alarms. I don’t try to recall specifically when I used it. This method seems to work for me.

I get pinged on my smart watch for all transactions on my CC. Most fraud charges get picked up by my credit card company and they call me. Loike 6 weeks ago there was an attempt charge for $500.15 to a cosmetic company, they blocked it and called me to see if it was legit.

@jca2 I’ve never had more the one credit card at a time. Always pay it off each month. Never carry a balance.

Me, too, @gondwanalon. I pay mine off each month, no balances, and I get the max benefits they offer because of it.

I wouldn’t want an email about every charge, but every charge where the card isn’t present (like for online shopping for example) seems to work, and would work if someone stole my number but I still poseessed the physical card.

My wife does, yes.

My money manager has all our credit cards on his computer and see every charge as soon as it is made. If there is any question, he follows up immediately, no waiting for the monthly statement.

Don’t use credit cards.