If your card statement shows STRIPE* followed by a business name you don't recognize, don't assume Stripe was the seller. The descriptor usually means that a business used Stripe to process the payment. Stripe is generally the processor, while the merchant is the business that received the payment and your bank or card issuer is the party that handles a formal fraud claim or chargeback.

For a posted charge you didn't make or authorize, contact the issuer today. Lock the card if your banking app allows it, use the phone number on the card or in the bank's official app, and don't wait for a merchant's reply before reporting the transaction.

Start with these actions

1. Write down the transaction details. Save the full statement descriptor, amount, date, and whether the charge is pending or posted. Check receipts, subscriptions, free trials, app-store history, and purchases made by another authorized user.
2. Secure the card and account. Lock the card in your banking app if possible, then call the issuer. Ask whether the card should be replaced and whether other transactions need review.
3. Report an unfamiliar posted charge. Tell the issuer clearly that you didn't make or authorize it. Ask how to open the appropriate fraud claim and note the case number.
4. Contact the merchant only through verified details. If you can identify the business independently, ask it to locate the order, cancel future billing, and refund the payment. A merchant response is not a substitute for notifying the issuer.
5. Use the right written process. For a U.S. credit-card billing dispute, send written notice to the issuer's billing-inquiries address within the applicable deadline. Debit cards, ACH payments, wires, prepaid cards, and peer-to-peer payments follow different procedures.
6. Keep a record. Save statements, receipts, messages, cancellation requests, refund confirmations, case numbers, and the issuer's instructions.
7. Watch the account. Look for additional unfamiliar charges and tell the issuer if a merchant later sends a refund.

Don't share your PIN, password, full card number, or one-time verification code with someone who contacts you about the transaction.

Why STRIPE* appears on a statement

A descriptor beginning with STRIPE* usually indicates that a business used Stripe to process the payment. It doesn't prove that Stripe sold you anything, and it doesn't by itself show that the payment was fraudulent.

The business name may be shortened or different from the brand name you remember. Before deciding that the charge is fraud, compare the line with:

• A digital receipt or invoice
• Your email, shopping, or merchant account history
• App-store purchase records
• Annual renewals and free trials that became paid subscriptions
• Orders, donations, reservations, or other recent payments
• Purchases made by a spouse, household member, employee, or another authorized user

Use the exact descriptor when speaking with the issuer. If the charge is still unfamiliar after this check, report it. Checking the name shouldn't delay a fraud report for a posted transaction.

Be careful with messages that claim to be from Stripe. Don't click a payment link or call a number in a suspicious email or text. Use the bank's official app or the number on the back of the card.

Which party handles the problem?

There are two separate tracks: the merchant may offer a refund, while the bank or card issuer investigates whether the payment was authorized.

Stripe's merchant Dashboard is generally not a consumer dispute portal. A customer normally can't use it to search the merchant's payment records or force Stripe to issue a refund.

What to tell your card issuer

Call using the number printed on the card or shown in the bank's official app. Have these details ready:

• The statement descriptor, date, and amount
• Whether the charge is pending or posted
• Whether the card is still in your possession
• Whether an authorized user could have made the purchase
• Whether you suspect a recurring charge or a wider account compromise
• Any merchant or refund information you already have

Say that you did not make or authorize the payment if that is accurate. Ask the issuer to:

• Mark the transaction as unauthorized
• Lock or replace the card if needed
• Investigate related transactions
• Explain whether a written dispute is required
• Give you a case or reference number
• Explain how to stop future recurring charges

A card lock may not replace the card or stop every type of recurring payment. Follow the issuer's instructions rather than assuming that locking the card has solved the problem.

Contacting the merchant safely

If the descriptor identifies a business, verify its website or support channel independently before making contact. Don't rely on a phone number or link in an unexpected message.

Ask the business to identify:

• The order, invoice, or account connected to the charge
• The date and amount it has on file
• Whether the payment is part of a subscription
• How to cancel future billing
• When and how a refund will be sent

Make the request in writing when possible. Keep the message and the reply. If the merchant refuses to help, doesn't respond, or appears deceptive, continue with the issuer's fraud or billing-dispute process.

If someone in your household or another authorized user made the purchase, give the issuer the facts. Don't call a permitted transaction unauthorized simply because you didn't personally place the order. The issuer may handle a permitted purchase differently from a stolen-card transaction.

Written notice for a U.S. credit-card dispute

The legal timing in this section applies to personal U.S. credit-card accounts. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act process, a written billing-error notice generally must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. Send it to the issuer's billing-inquiries address, which may be different from the payment address on the statement.

Include:

• Your name and account number, using only the information the issuer requests
• The amount and date of the charge
• The statement descriptor
• A clear explanation that you didn't make or authorize the transaction, if that is the true reason
• Copies of relevant documents, not your only originals
• A request that the issuer correct the billing error

The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint in writing within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue. It generally must investigate and resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no more than 90 days. The FTC's guidance on disputing credit and debit card charges describes the process.

A phone call is useful for locking the card and starting immediate security steps, but don't rely on a phone call alone if you want to preserve the written billing-error procedure. Keep a copy of the letter and proof of delivery. Continue paying amounts that aren't part of the dispute unless the issuer gives you different instructions.

You can use the FTC's sample dispute letter as a starting point. Change it to match what actually happened.

Debit cards and other payment methods

The FCBA credit-card process doesn't control a debit-card transaction. Debit-card protections and investigation deadlines can depend on how quickly you notify the bank, the payment method, and the bank's procedures.

Call the bank immediately and ask:

• What deadline applies to this debit-card claim?
• Does the bank need a signed statement or written notice?
• Should the card and PIN be replaced?
• Will the bank provide temporary credit during its investigation?
• Was the payment processed as a debit transaction, ACH debit, or another payment type?

Don't use a credit-card dispute letter as the only step for an ACH debit, wire transfer, prepaid card, or peer-to-peer payment. Those payment rails have different rules and recovery options. Report the transaction to the provider that handled the payment and follow its instructions.

Merchant refund versus issuer dispute

A merchant refund and an issuer dispute are not the same thing.

A merchant refund is money the business sends back through its payment processor, normally to the original payment method. Ask the merchant when it submitted the refund, for what amount, and whether it has a confirmation or reference number. The issuer controls when the credit appears on your statement, and posting times vary.

A chargeback or fraud claim is opened by your bank or card issuer. The issuer investigates and may provide a temporary credit. That credit can be reversed if the investigation finds that the transaction was valid or the claim doesn't meet the applicable rules. A chargeback isn't a guaranteed refund.

If the merchant says it has already refunded the payment:

1. Get the refund confirmation in writing.
2. Give the confirmation to your issuer.
3. Check your statement for the credit.
4. Tell the issuer when the refund arrives.

Don't seek payment twice for the same transaction or give the merchant and issuer conflicting explanations. If only part of the payment was refunded, explain what amount remains.

Cancelling a subscription

Cancelling a subscription normally addresses future charges. It doesn't automatically reverse a payment that has already posted.

Cancel through the merchant's account settings when possible and save the confirmation. If you can't access the account or the business continues billing, ask the issuer how to handle future recurring transactions. Replacing the card may help protect the account, but it isn't a complete substitute for cancelling the underlying subscription.

Evidence to keep

The issuer may ask what happened and when you noticed the charge. A short timeline is often easier to follow than a long explanation. Keep copies of:

• The statement showing the descriptor, amount, and date
• Screenshots of the merchant account or subscription page
• Order confirmations, invoices, and receipts
• Emails or messages with the merchant
• Your cancellation request and the merchant's response
• Bank or issuer case numbers
• Security alerts showing a password change or suspicious login
• A list of other transactions you also don't recognize

Redact your full card number, passwords, security answers, and one-time codes before sharing documents. Keep the original files. Never manufacture evidence or claim that a purchase was unauthorized if you gave someone permission to use the card.

Deadlines: don't assume there is a universal 120-day rule

The often-repeated 120-day deadline isn't a universal rule for every Stripe transaction. The relevant deadline may depend on:

• Credit card versus debit card
• The date the statement was sent
• The payment rail
• The issuer's claim process
• Card-network procedures
• Whether the charge is recurring, pending, duplicated, or genuinely unauthorized

For a U.S. credit card, the written FCBA notice deadline generally runs from the first statement containing the error, not simply from the transaction date. For debit cards and other payment methods, report the problem immediately and ask the bank for the exact deadline.

Stripe may give a merchant a network-specific deadline to answer a dispute. That deadline controls the merchant's response, not necessarily the consumer's legal deadline. Stripe's payment disputes guide describes the evidence process from the business side.

When the charge isn't actually unauthorized

Use the dispute reason that best matches what happened. These situations may require a different process:

• A subscription renewed: Start with the merchant's cancellation and refund policy, then tell the issuer the facts if the merchant won't resolve it.
• The amount is wrong: Describe the incorrect amount or other billing error rather than claiming that the entire payment was stolen.
• The product never arrived: This is generally a non-delivery or merchant-performance dispute, not necessarily unauthorized use.
• A family member used the card: Explain whether that person had permission.
• The charge is pending: The issuer may ask you to wait until it posts before opening a formal dispute. Report it immediately and ask what it can do in the meantime.
• The payment used ACH, a wire, a wallet, or a prepaid card: Use that provider's fraud and recovery process.

Accuracy matters. It helps the issuer route the claim correctly and can prevent delays caused by choosing the wrong reason.

If you own the Stripe account

A business whose Stripe account processed the payment shouldn't follow the consumer steps above. Sign in through the official Stripe website, review payment and account-access logs, secure the account, and contact Stripe through the Dashboard's support options.

If a cardholder files a dispute, Stripe normally shows the response deadline and evidence request in the merchant Dashboard. Evidence may include checkout terms, customer communications, receipts, address-verification results, card-security-code results, and delivery records. Stripe's guide gives examples, but a matching data point by itself doesn't prove that the cardholder personally authorized the purchase.

Don't ship an order while investigating suspected fraud, and don't miss the Dashboard deadline while waiting for the customer to respond. Fees, deadlines, and protection programs depend on the merchant's Stripe terms and the payment network.

If a scam or phishing message led to the charge

Report the transaction to the issuer first. You can also submit a report through the FTC's ReportFraud.gov information page. The report helps agencies identify fraud patterns, but it doesn't replace a bank dispute and doesn't itself order a refund.

Secure any account that may have been exposed:

• Change the password from a trusted device.
• Use a unique password that isn't reused elsewhere.
• Turn on two-factor authentication.
• Review email-forwarding rules and recent sign-ins.
• Remove unfamiliar saved payment methods.
• Ask the issuer whether other cards or accounts need attention.

Reducing the risk of another unfamiliar charge

These steps won't guarantee that a payment will never be disputed, but they can make problems easier to spot:

• Turn on instant transaction alerts for credit and debit cards.
• Review recurring payments and free trials each month.
• Use two-factor authentication for email, banking, shopping, and payment accounts.
• Don't share card details or verification codes through unsolicited messages.
• Keep a record of subscription cancellations.
• Use a separate or virtual card number where available.
• Replace a card promptly if its details may have been exposed.
• Check the merchant name before reporting a familiar purchase as fraud.

Frequently asked questions

Can I dispute the charge directly with Stripe?

If you're the customer, your bank or card issuer is usually the formal dispute route. Stripe processes the payment for the merchant and generally doesn't replace the issuer's investigation. You can ask the merchant for a voluntary refund and give the issuer the Stripe descriptor when describing the transaction.

Is every charge that mentions Stripe a scam?

No. A legitimate business may use Stripe, and the descriptor may not match the brand name you remember. Check receipts, subscriptions, authorized users, and account history. Report the charge if you still can't identify or authorize it.

How long will a Stripe refund take?

There isn't one Stripe-wide posting time for every card or bank. Ask the merchant when it submitted the refund and ask your issuer when credits of that type normally appear. If the merchant says it refunded you but no credit posts, give the issuer the confirmation.

Can I cancel a charge before it posts?

Possibly. It depends on the issuer and the payment's status. Report the transaction immediately and ask whether the issuer can stop or flag it. If it posts, use the formal dispute process without delay.

What if the merchant refuses to refund me?

Notify the issuer and use the reason that accurately describes the problem. Provide your messages with the merchant and explain whether the issue is unauthorized use, an incorrect amount, a subscription, or a delivery problem. Don't wait for an unresponsive merchant before starting the bank's process.

For a posted charge you don't recognize, call the issuer today, secure the card, and keep the written record of what you reported.