Your credit card has been compromised. What should you do next?

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Picture this. You wake up to a series of notifications from your bank and find your credit card has been used without your knowledge.

You double-check your statement, confirm the transactions aren’t yours, and rule out the possibility that a family member used your card. The charges seem random and the merchants are unfamiliar. Panic sets in as you realise that your card has likely been compromised.

What should you do next? The first step is to stop any further misuse of your card by blocking it. Most banks allow you to do this through their mobile app, website, or customer service helpline. When Debalina Ghosh, a communications specialist at Amazon in Bengaluru, noticed unauthorised transactions a few weeks ago, she didn't waste a second.

“Within five minutes, I had blocked my card and called the dispute team. You can't just call the regular customer care number – you have to reach out to the dispute team directly," she said. Her promptness helped her recover most of the amount.

After blocking the card, immediately report the fraud to your bank. Provide details of the unauthorised transactions and confirm that the card has been blocked. Many banks have a dedicated helpline or email address for reporting disputes, so make sure to contact the right department.

Aravind Ganesh from Chennai had his credit card stolen while returning home from work in 2020. The thief made a transaction at a nearby petrol pump using ‘tap to pay’, which harnesses near-field communication (NFC) technology to allow a user to make purchases without entering the PIN. Also read | Concert credit cards: applied today, discarded tomorrow “I received a message about the unauthorised transaction and was unsure if a