If you paid a scam-looking website with a U.S. credit card, start with the payment trail. Save the order, the seller's promise, and the delivery record before you send a dispute.
PayPal and debit cards follow different routes. Identify the payment method first.
This guidance is for U.S. consumers. Other countries use different deadlines and rules.
Start by labeling the problem accurately
Use the transaction's facts, not your theory about the seller. A deceptive site can still receive an authorized payment.
| What happened | Accurate description | Main proof |
|---|---|---|
| You paid, but nothing arrived | Merchandise or service not received | Order confirmation, delivery promise, tracking, seller messages |
| The item arrived but was materially different | Not as described | Listing, photos, return request, messages, inspection notes |
| You never made or approved the charge | Unauthorized transaction | Statement, account alerts, fraud report, date you noticed it |
| The merchant charged twice or used the wrong amount | Billing error | Receipts, statement, checkout total, duplicate entries |
Choose the closest description offered by your bank or payment platform. An authorized order can still be disputed because the goods never arrived or differed materially from the listing.
Do not call an order unauthorized just because the seller lied. A chargeback addresses the payment dispute; it does not prove that the website committed a crime.
Build an evidence file before the page disappears
Make one folder for this transaction. Keep original files, not just cropped screenshots.
- Save the payment record. Download the card statement or PayPal receipt, merchant descriptor, date, amount, currency, and transaction ID. Redact all but the last four card digits.
- Preserve the offer. Save the product page, checkout screen, delivery estimate, return policy, contact page, and order confirmation. Include the full page address in every screenshot.
- Keep the communications. Export emails, chats, and contact-form replies. Include your request for delivery or a refund.
- Check delivery evidence. Save the tracking page and carrier result. A label-created status does not show that the package reached you.
- Write the timeline. Note the purchase date, promised delivery date, contact attempts, seller replies, and the day you realized there was a problem.
- Save signs that the site changed. Capture a down page, redirect, or changed listing. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine may show an older copy, though archived pages can be incomplete.
- Treat WHOIS as background. Record the domain registration date, registrar, and privacy service if available. A new domain, private registration, or registration country does not prove fraud or show where the seller operates.
- Make an index. If the dispute portal accepts one PDF, combine the key documents, but keep the original emails, images, and files separately. Never send a password, Social Security number, or full payment-card number.
The folder may be untidy. That's fine. Missing dates are harder to recover.
Turns out, a domain lookup rarely carries a dispute by itself. The transaction record and delivery problem usually matter more.
Send a credit card dispute before the deadline
Federal law provides a formal written route for U.S. credit card billing errors. The FTC's guidance on disputing credit card charges says the issuer must receive your written notice within 60 days after it sent the first statement containing the error.
Use the billing-inquiries address printed on your statement. It may not be the address used for payments.
Send the letter early. Keep a copy and proof that the issuer received it.
You can also call the issuer or use its online portal that day. A phone call alone does not replace the formal written notice.
Name the merchant, transaction date, amount, and exact reason for the dispute. Say whether the merchandise never arrived or was materially different. Attach the order record and statement, then add your timeline, tracking result, and seller messages.
The FTC's guidance on goods you never received covers this type of billing problem too.
While the issuer investigates, you generally do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges. Pay the undisputed part of the bill by its due date.
The issuer generally must acknowledge your written dispute within 30 days of receiving it, unless it resolves the problem sooner. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles and no more than 90 days under the federal process. The CFPB's billing-error rule contains the regulatory text.
Some issuers may extend the 60-day period when a shipment is delayed. Ask before relying on that exception. A card-network process may use a different timetable.
Use PayPal's process if PayPal handled the payment
PayPal payments go through PayPal's Resolution Center. Open a case as soon as you identify the problem, then choose the reason that fits: item not received or significantly not as described.
PayPal's U.S. Buyer Protection terms say a dispute must be opened within 180 days of payment. The terms also state that a dispute must be opened within 30 days of delivery or fulfillment, as applicable, or within 180 days after payment, whichever comes first. Check the term shown for your transaction.
Give PayPal the receipt, listing, promised delivery date, tracking result, seller messages, and relevant screenshots. If the seller does not resolve the matter, follow the portal's instructions to escalate the dispute to a claim before the case closes.
Thing is, PayPal decides eligibility under its own terms. A new domain, an FTC report, or an angry message does not guarantee a refund.
If a credit card funded the PayPal payment, tell both PayPal and the card issuer about the other case. Ask how they want you to proceed. Do not seek duplicate recovery or describe an authorized purchase as unauthorized.
Debit cards, bank transfers, and unrecognized charges
The 60-day written process above applies to U.S. credit card billing errors. It does not automatically control every other payment type.
- Debit card: Call the bank's fraud or dispute department immediately. Explain whether you authorized the purchase but never received it, or whether you did not authorize the transaction.
- ACH, wire transfer, or P2P payment: Report the payment promptly and ask which recovery options and deadline apply to that payment rail.
- Unrecognized credit card charge: Say clearly that you did not make or authorize the charge. Ask for the issuer's fraud process instead of describing it as a delivery dispute.
Keep the case number and the name of each person you speak with. If the site may still have your card details, ask the issuer whether it should replace the card.
Report the scam separately and escalate problems with the issuer
Report the seller through the FTC's fraud reporting site. Save the confirmation number with the other evidence.
An FTC report does not replace the credit card, PayPal, or bank dispute.
If the issuer mishandles your written billing dispute, use the CFPB complaint system. The CFPB says companies generally respond within 15 days, and you can review the response and provide feedback within 60 days.
A regulator complaint adds an escalation path. It does not guarantee that the issuer will reverse the transaction.
A focused dispute letter
Use this model for an authorized purchase that never arrived or was materially different from the listing. Replace every bracket with a specific fact.
[Date]
Billing Inquiries
[Card issuer and address shown on your statement]
Re: Written billing error notice for [merchant], [amount], [statement date]
I am writing to dispute a billing error on my account. I authorized a purchase from [merchant] on [date] for [amount], but [the merchandise was not received by the promised date / the item was materially different from the listing].
The seller promised [specific delivery date, product description, or service]. I contacted the seller on [dates] and requested [delivery, a refund, or another resolution]. [State what happened next.]
Please investigate and credit the disputed amount. Please treat this letter as written notice of the billing error. I have enclosed [payment record], [statement], [screenshots], [tracking information], and [seller communications].
Please send the result of your investigation in writing.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Mailing address]
[Phone or email]
[Account identifier or last four digits only]An unauthorized transaction needs a different opening. State that you did not make or authorize the charge, then follow the issuer's fraud instructions.
Send the notice so it arrives within the applicable deadline. Keep the letter, attachments, delivery confirmation, and case number together.
If the issuer denies the dispute
Read the denial closely. It may say the merchant supplied tracking, your notice arrived late, the letter went to the wrong address, or the evidence did not show non-delivery.
Answer the reason given. If tracking shows only that a label was created, say that plainly. If a delivery signature lists another address, point it out. If the listing conflicts with the merchant's description, identify the exact difference and attach both versions.
To be honest, emotion rarely repairs a weak timeline. A short chronology with one document for each event gives the next reviewer something concrete to assess.
Respond by the issuer's stated deadline. If the process still appears mishandled, use the CFPB complaint route and attach the denial, original written notice, and proof that the issuer received it.
Questions consumers often ask
Does WHOIS data prove that a website is a scam?
No. WHOIS can show when a domain was registered and whether its details are private, but those facts are only context.
Pair them with the payment record, seller promises, delivery evidence, and communications.
What if the website has disappeared?
A vanished site does not prevent the issuer, bank, or PayPal from reviewing the dispute. Use your saved screenshots, order confirmation, emails, tracking record, statement, and timeline.
An archived page or screenshot of the old site may support your account. The payment and delivery records remain central.
Can I dispute a charge after 60 days?
Contact the issuer immediately and ask which options remain. The 60-day written period is central to the federal credit card billing-error process, although some issuers may extend it for delayed shipments.
Other payment-network procedures may use different deadlines. Ask which process applies to your transaction.
Will an FTC report get my money back?
Not by itself. The FTC report and confirmation number document the complaint, while the issuer, bank, or PayPal handles the payment dispute under its own process.
Download the first statement and payment receipt now. Write the timeline while the dates are easy to verify, then send the written notice before the applicable deadline.