Contact your bank or credit union immediately using its verified number or app. Identify each debit-card transaction you did not make or allow, explain whether your card or credentials were lost or stolen, and follow its written-confirmation instructions. Keep the case number, records, and investigation result.
Report the activity and secure the affected account
Use the number on your card, a recent statement, or the bank’s verified website or app. Ask the bank how to block further card activity, replace compromised credentials, and report each transaction. A suspicious text or caller may supply a fake support number, so contact the bank independently.
Tell the bank what you actually did. A payment someone else initiated without permission, a payment you were tricked into sending, and a merchant purchase you regret involve different facts. Do not describe a payment as unauthorized if you knowingly initiated it; explain the scam or dispute accurately.
Official guidance: CFPB: Unauthorized transactions or money missing from a bank account.
If the issue is a recurring subscription you canceled, also use the subscription cancellation guide. If someone opened an account in your name, use the identity theft guide.
Do not wait for the next statement
Timing can affect your liability. For a lost or stolen debit card, notifying the bank within two business days after learning of the loss or theft generally limits liability to the lesser of $50 or the unauthorized transfers. Later notice can increase your exposure. The CFPB also describes protections and reporting rules for stolen PINs or security codes.
If you still have the card and your card, security code, and PIN were not lost or stolen, report an unauthorized statement entry immediately and no later than 60 days after the bank sends the statement showing it. Do not treat that outer limit as a reason to wait. Other circumstances and protections may apply.
Official guidance: CFPB: Unauthorized transactions or money missing from a bank account.
Create a transaction and contact log
| Field | What to save |
|---|---|
| Transactions | Merchant description, date, amount, and any reference |
| Discovery | When you noticed the activity or learned of missing card or credentials |
| First report | Date, time, verified channel, and bank case number |
| Follow-up | Written confirmation, documents requested, and date provided |
| Outcome | Decision, temporary credit, final correction, and related fees |
Keep the full statement for your own records and send the bank the information it requests through its secure channel. If more transactions appear, report them and add them to the same timeline. Explain which payments you recognize so the bank can distinguish them.
Follow the bank’s confirmation instructions
Ask how to provide written confirmation and when it is due. The CFPB says banks generally investigate covered errors within ten business days, with exceptions. If more time is needed, temporary-credit rules may apply. Failing to provide requested written confirmation within ten business days can affect temporary credit.
Official guidance: CFPB: Unauthorized transactions or money missing from a bank account.
Ask whether a credit is temporary or final. Do not assume a temporary credit means the bank completed its investigation in your favor. Keep each notice and check the account for later adjustments.
A factual first report
I am reporting two debit-card transactions I did not make or allow: [merchant, date, amount] and [merchant, date, amount]. I noticed them on [date]. My card is [still in my possession/lost/stolen], and these are the facts I know about access to my account: [facts]. Please open an investigation, explain any written follow-up required, and give me a case number.
Read the decision and challenge unanswered facts
If the bank denies the claim, ask for its explanation and the information it used to decide. Compare that response with your transaction log and evidence. State exactly which fact remains wrong or unaddressed. Review any notice that the bank intends to reverse temporary credit.
For unresolved account or complaint-handling issues, use the CFPB complaint process. Include the bank’s response, your reporting dates, and the disputed transactions. An agency complaint does not guarantee reimbursement or replace prompt notice to the bank.
Official guidance: CFPB: Submit a complaint about a financial product or service.
Continue monitoring the account after a replacement card arrives. Keep any legitimate recurring payments updated through the actual merchant rather than a link in an unsolicited message.
Common questions
Should I wait until I have all the evidence?
No. Report suspected unauthorized activity to the bank immediately and follow up with the requested records.
Is temporary credit a final refund?
No. A bank may issue temporary credit while investigating. Read the decision and any later adjustment notice.
Does this guide cover credit-card billing disputes?
It focuses on debit-card activity. Credit-card billing rules differ; use your card issuer’s current dispute instructions and official guidance for that payment type.
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Sources and page information
Official source links checked September 24, 2026. Requirements can change; use the relevant agency’s current instructions.
- CFPB: Unauthorized transactions or money missing from a bank account
- CFPB: Submit a complaint about a financial product or service
Prepared with AI assistance. Examples and worksheets are illustrative. This is general information, not legal advice. We do not submit complaints, determine eligibility, or guarantee a result.