Paid a scam website? Contact the payment provider today. The next step depends on what happened: an unauthorized charge is different from an order you authorized but never received, and a credit-card dispute follows a different process from PayPal, debit, ACH, or wire payments.

No payment method guarantees a refund. Your chances improve when you report the problem promptly, use an accurate dispute reason, and provide records showing what the seller promised.

This is general U.S. consumer information, not legal advice.

Match the dispute reason to what happened

Use plain, accurate facts when you contact the bank or payment platform:

• Unauthorized charge: You didn't make or approve the transaction. Report it as fraud immediately and secure the account.
• Authorized purchase that never arrived: You paid the seller, but the promised delivery date passed without delivery.
• Product or service not as described: What arrived was materially different from the listing, or the seller didn't provide a promised service.
• Recurring charge: The site keeps billing you after you canceled, or you never agreed to recurring payments.

An unfamiliar merchant name on a statement isn't automatically fraud. Compare the amount and date with receipts, confirmation emails, digital-wallet records, and household purchases before choosing "unauthorized."

Take these steps before a deadline passes

Secure your payment and online accounts

Lock the card in your banking app if that option is available. Call the issuer if you gave the site your card number, security code, online-banking credentials, or a password that you use elsewhere. Ask whether the card needs to be replaced and whether future recurring payments can be blocked.

Change reused passwords and turn on multifactor authentication. Watch for small test charges and additional withdrawals. Never send another payment to a supposed recovery agent who promises to release or reverse your refund.

Save the evidence

Keep the records that connect the payment to the seller's promise and failure:

• The website address, product page, advertisement, checkout page, and order confirmation
• The order number, transaction date, amount, and merchant name on the statement
• Emails, text messages, chats, and the seller's phone numbers
• The promised delivery date and shipping, return, or refund policy
• Tracking information, carrier notices, and proof of non-delivery
• Your written refund request and the seller's response, if any
• Screenshots or saved copies showing that the website changed or disappeared
• Bank, card, PayPal, FTC, or police case numbers

Put the records in date order and write a short timeline. For example:

• [Order date]: Paid $[amount] for [product]; the listing promised delivery by [date].
• [Delivery date]: The package was not delivered, or tracking showed no carrier acceptance.
• [Contact date]: Asked the seller for a refund.
• [Report date]: Submitted the dispute to the payment provider.

Keep the original files. Before sending documents, redact full account numbers, passwords, one-time codes, and Social Security numbers.

Contact the seller if it is still reachable

Send one factual written refund request. Include the order date, amount, promised delivery date, and reason for the request. Give the seller a reasonable deadline to respond, but don't wait for a reply if the site looks fraudulent or a payment-provider deadline is approaching.

The FTC's online shopping guidance says a seller generally must ship as promised. If no shipping time was promised, the seller generally must ship within 30 days after receiving the name, address, and payment or permission to charge the account needed to process the order.

Keep a copy of your request even if the seller never answers.

Credit-card disputes

For a U.S. credit-card purchase, the Fair Credit Billing Act, or FCBA, can cover certain billing errors, including merchandise you didn't receive. It doesn't make every disappointing online purchase an automatic refund, so describe the specific problem and attach evidence.

Send a written dispute within 60 days

For the full FCBA billing-error process, send a written dispute within 60 days after the statement containing the error was mailed to you. Use the billing-dispute address on the statement. That address may be different from the address used for payments.

Include:

• Your name and the necessary account information
• The transaction date, merchant name, and amount
• A clear explanation of what is wrong
• Copies of the order confirmation, promised delivery information, communications, and refund request

Use the correct category. For example:

I authorized this purchase, but the merchandise was never delivered. The promised delivery date was June 10, and the seller has not responded to my written refund request.

If you didn't authorize the transaction, say that directly. Call the issuer immediately as well as sending the written notice.

An online or phone dispute may start the issuer's review, but a written notice is the safer way to preserve the FCBA process. Keep a copy of what you sent and proof that the issuer received it.

Understand the investigation

The issuer generally must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days unless it resolves the problem sooner. It generally must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, but no more than 90 days after receiving the letter.

With a timely FCBA dispute, you generally don't have to pay the disputed amount or related finance charges while the investigation is pending. Pay the rest of the bill and follow the issuer's instructions. Check later statements and case messages: a temporary credit or adjustment isn't necessarily the final decision.

The FTC's billing-error guidance explains the written-dispute deadline, acknowledgment period, and investigation time limit.

Ask about card-network deadlines

Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express can have separate network procedures, reason codes, and time limits. Those rules vary by network, transaction type, and the date used to calculate the claim. Don't rely on a universal "120-day rule," and don't wait for a network deadline before sending the FCBA letter.

Ask the issuer which process applies to your transaction and submit the claim as soon as you discover the problem.

Debit cards, prepaid cards, and ACH payments

The FCBA credit-card process doesn't automatically apply to a debit card or prepaid card. Debit, prepaid, and ACH payments can have different protections and definitions of an unauthorized transaction.

Contact the bank or prepaid-card issuer's fraud or disputes department promptly. Tell the representative:

1. Whether you authorized the payment
2. Whether the issue is fraud, non-delivery, a wrong amount, or a recurring charge
3. The date the transaction posted
4. Whether you contacted the merchant or payment platform

Ask for the applicable deadline and the required submission method. Don't assume that the 60-day credit-card deadline applies to a debit or ACH payment.

For a recurring card payment, cancel with the merchant in writing and ask the card issuer whether it can block future charges. A block on future payments doesn't necessarily resolve charges that already posted, so dispute those separately.

PayPal payments

A PayPal payment is handled first under PayPal's dispute process and Buyer Protection terms. The FCBA 60-day timetable doesn't automatically control the PayPal case.

Open the transaction in PayPal's Resolution Center as soon as possible. Select the reason that matches the evidence, such as an item not received or a product materially different from the listing. Upload the order record, seller communications, delivery information, and refund request. Follow the case page's instructions and escalate the dispute to a claim before the deadline displayed for that transaction.

Eligibility can depend on the transaction type and policy exclusions. Digital products, services, gift cards, and other categories may not receive the same protection as an eligible physical purchase.

If PayPal was funded by a credit card, notify both PayPal and the card issuer if you pursue both processes. Ask how the cases interact, and disclose any credit or refund to each provider. Don't claim duplicate recovery. If the PayPal account itself was compromised, secure it and report the payment as unauthorized.

Wire-transfer scams

Wire transfers can be difficult to reverse because funds may move through several accounts quickly. Call the sending bank's fraud department immediately and request a wire recall or reversal.

Give the bank:

• The wire date, amount, confirmation number, and recipient details
• The account and routing information used
• The scam website, email address, phone number, and payment instructions
• When and how you discovered the fraud

A recall may be possible if the transfer hasn't been completed or the funds are still available. If the money was forwarded, recovery may require cooperation from the receiving bank or beneficiary, and it isn't guaranteed. For background only, SIS ID's overview of wire-transfer recalls describes why timing and the transfer's status matter.

Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and keep the bank's case number. An FTC report doesn't itself reverse a wire or issue a refund, but it creates a record that can help identify patterns and support enforcement.

Deadlines by payment method

If the bank or platform denies the claim

Read the written decision. It may say that the merchant supplied tracking, the transaction was authorized, the claim was outside the provider's deadline, or the evidence didn't establish non-delivery.

Ask for the specific reason and the deadline for reconsideration or appeal. Respond with evidence aimed at that reason:

• If the merchant supplied tracking, show whether the carrier actually accepted or delivered the package.
• If the issuer says you authorized the purchase, clarify whether the real issue is non-delivery or misrepresentation.
• If the product was not as described, compare the original listing with what arrived.
• If the deadline is disputed, show the statement date and the date you submitted the written notice.

Keep the facts consistent. Don't file multiple contradictory claims or recast an authorized purchase as fraud. Continue paying the undisputed portion of a credit-card bill while the dispute is pending. If the issuer fails to follow the written billing-error process, document the problem and consider contacting the appropriate consumer-protection regulator or getting advice about your options.

Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for the seller to answer before reporting an unauthorized transaction
• Calling by phone only when a written credit-card dispute is needed
• Describing non-delivery as an unauthorized charge
• Missing the date on the first statement containing the error
• Assuming debit, prepaid, PayPal, ACH, and wire rules are identical
• Sending account credentials or one-time security codes
• Treating a temporary credit as a final refund
• Paying a second fee to someone promising to recover the first payment
• Stopping payment on the entire credit-card bill instead of paying undisputed charges
• Assuming an FTC or police report guarantees reimbursement

Credit-card dispute statement

Adapt this statement to the facts and send it through the issuer's required channel:

I am writing to dispute a charge from [merchant] for $[amount], posted on [date]. I [did or did not] authorize the transaction. The problem is [item not received, materially not as described, duplicate charge, or other factual reason]. The seller promised [delivery or product terms], but [what happened]. I contacted the seller on [date] and requested a refund. Attached are copies of the statement, order records, communications, and delivery evidence. Please investigate this billing error and confirm receipt of this dispute.

Keep the submission confirmation and mark the issuer's response deadline on your calendar. If the charge is still pending, report the risk immediately and ask the issuer how to proceed once it posts.