INFORMATION ABOUT DEBIT CARD FRAUD & DISPUTES

When charges and purchases appear on your statement that you do not recognize, they may be fraudulent, or they may not be. This reference guide will help you decide whether to file a dispute or a fraudulent claim. Credit Union One’s policies and procedures for processing fraudulent and disputed transactions are governed by the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, or Federal Regulation E.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISPUTES & FRAUD

The primary difference between a fraudulent transaction and a disputable transaction lies in whether or not the cardholder knowingly and willingly initiated the transaction with the merchant in the first place.

Disputes can arise between a merchant and a cardholder for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to overcharging the cardholder, charging the cardholder for merchandise that wasn’t received, or charging the cardholder for a monthly subscription that was previously canceled.

If the transaction was never authorized or initiated by the cardholder, a fraud claim may be filed.

DETERMINING WHICH TYPE OF CLAIM YOU HAVE

Answering the following questions will help you to determine whether your claim is a dispute or fraud.

1.  Do you personally know who made the transaction on your debit card?

2.  Is the transaction a result of signing up online for a “free trial”, however you used your debit card to pay for shipping or a similar charge?

3.  Did you give or loan your debit card to anyone? (You cannot make a claim of any kind if you voluntarily gave your card to another person.)

If you answered “Yes” to Questions 1 or 2, this would be a Cardholder dispute. If you answered “No” to all three questions, this would be considered a fraud claim. If you answered “yes” to question 3, you do not have a valid claim. No claims can be made if you gave your card to someone voluntarily.

DEBIT CARD DISPUTES

When you have a disagreement with a merchant about a charge they made to your debit card, this is considered a cardholder dispute. For example:

    •  You canceled a transaction, but the merchant still charged you. For instance: you used your credit card to reserve a hotel room, and cancelled with the

        hotel in accordance with their cancellation guidelines, and you were still charged for the room.

    •  You purchased an item using your debit card, and later returned the item to the merchant, but your card was never credited for the return.

    •  You were charged the incorrect amount for a transaction, for example $400 rather than $40.

    •  You have an issue with the quality of goods or services provided.

Notifying Us of Your Dispute

It is critical that you notify us within two (2) business days of the date you first became aware of the transaction you want to dispute. Failure to notify us within two (2) business days increases your liability from $50 to $500. Failure to notify us within 60 days of when the disputed transaction appears on your statement means you are liable for the entire amount of the disputed transaction. Please notify us of any disputes by calling 405-557-0167 and speaking with a Member Experience Specialist.

How Your Dispute is Processed

You are responsible for the first $50 of any dispute. If your dispute is less than $50 it will not be processed.

If the amount of your dispute is more than $50, we begin processing it as soon as you notify us about it. You may notify us in person or by phone. We may ask that you attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant prior to filing your dispute. We also reserve the right to close your debit card to prevent any additional unauthorized charges.

Once the investigation is complete, you will be notified of the outcome.

DEBIT CARD FRAUD

A transaction is considered fraudulent only when you have no knowledge of who used your card and you can state with certainty that you were not aware of the transaction. You will be required to sign an affidavit stating that you have no knowledge of who completed the transaction(s) in question. If you intentionally file a false or unsubstantiated fraud claim, you may be charged a fee.

Notifying Us of Fraud

It’s critical that you notify us within two (2) business days of the date you first became aware of the fraudulent activity. Failure to notify us within two (2) business days increases your liability from $50 to $500. Failure to notify us within 60 days of when the fraudulent transaction appears on your statement means you are liable for the entire amount of the fraudulent transaction. Please notify us of any disputes by calling 405-557-0167 and speaking with a Member Experience Specialist.

How Your Fraud Claim is Processed

You are responsible for the first $50 of any fraud claim. If your claim is less than $50 it will not be processed.

If the amount of your dispute is more than $50, we begin processing it as soon as you notify us about it. You may notify us in person or by phone. Upon notification of fraudulent charges, we will immediately close your debit card to prevent any additional unauthorized charges. Credit Union One has ten (10) days to investigate your claim. If we cannot finish our investigation within ten (10) days we may provisionally credit your account for the amount of the claim. If your claim is determined to be invalid, you must return the provisional credit, and we will debit your account for the entire amount of the provisional credit within three (3) days of completing our investigation. We are allowed up to 45 days, or 90 days for POS transactions, transactions involving foreign countries, or new accounts to investigate your claim. Once the investigation is complete, you will be notified of the outcome.