Sort the message before you act

If you're trying to stop BNPL emails, first separate a sales message from a notice about an order or account. You can opt out of a verified promotion through the provider's app, website, or a trustworthy unsubscribe link. A payment reminder, refund notice, or sign-in alert needs a different response.

The name on the message doesn't settle the question. Klarna, Afterpay, Sezzle, Affirm, and Zip can all be impersonated.

An opt-out affects marketing. It doesn't cancel an existing BNPL plan, reverse a purchase, or necessarily stop account, security, and payment notices.

Signs a BNPL email may be fake

Be cautious when an email:

• asks you to send a password, one-time security code, Social Security number, or full card details by email;
• creates pressure by threatening a fee, account closure, or missed payment if you don't act immediately;
• sends you to a login page with a lookalike web address or a domain you don't recognize;
• asks for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or an unfamiliar account;
• promises a refund or credit but requires a fee or card verification first;
• includes an unexpected attachment or asks you to install software;
• uses a familiar display name but an unfamiliar sender or reply-to address; or
• refers to an order or payment plan that doesn't appear in your account.

Klarna's published security guidance tells consumers not to share codes, passwords, or personal information unless they're sure who they're dealing with. It also advises contacting a bank or card provider quickly if a scam may have involved a payment.

A message can use your name, mention a real store, and still be fraudulent. Scammers copy logos and may use information exposed in an earlier data breach. Treat those details as clues, not proof.

Verify the message without using its links

Use the following process for a payment notice, account alert, or message you don't fully trust:

1. Stop using the email. Don't click a link, open an attachment, or call the number printed in the message.
2. Open the provider independently. Use the official app on your phone or type a website address you already know into the browser. Don't reach the site through the email.
3. Check the account. Look for the order, payment plan, refund, sign-in event, or other activity described in the message.
4. Check the merchant separately. Compare the store account, receipt, shipping record, and order number. A merchant order and a BNPL plan are related, but they aren't the same record.
5. Ask official support when details conflict. Start in the app or on the provider's website. Ask whether the message was sent by the provider and whether anything is due on your account.
6. Keep evidence before deleting anything. Save the original message, sender address, links, order numbers, screenshots, and timestamps if you may need to report fraud.

If you entered a password or security code after clicking a link, change the affected password through the official app or website. Change it anywhere else you reused it. Contact the provider about the potentially compromised account, and call your bank or card issuer immediately if you entered payment details or see an unfamiliar transaction.

Stop legitimate BNPL marketing emails

Once you've confirmed that a message is a genuine promotion, the official app or website is usually the cleanest place to change communication preferences.

You can also:

• use the email's unsubscribe link if the sender is clearly legitimate and the link leads to a trusted destination;
• contact the provider through its official support channel and request an opt-out from marketing messages;
• unsubscribe separately from the merchant's promotional list;
• review push-notification settings in the app, since email and mobile alerts may be managed separately; and
• allow a few days for the preference change to reach all of the provider's mailing systems.

Keep the dates and examples if promotional emails continue. Contact official support again and ask which marketing list is still sending them.

Don't use an unsubscribe button in a message that already looks like phishing. Mark the email as spam or phishing instead. A fake unsubscribe page may steal login information or simply confirm that your address is active.

You may still receive genuine order, account, security, and payment messages after opting out. If you can't tell whether a message is marketing or transactional, ask the provider through the app or website.

If the message is a scam

The right response depends on what you did after receiving it.

You only received the email

Don't reply, click, or call. Mark it as phishing in your email account and report the impersonation to the BNPL provider through its official app or website. You can report it to your email provider as well.

You shared account information

Change the exposed password immediately, including on other accounts where you reused it. Review recent sign-ins, orders, payment plans, and saved payment methods. Contact the BNPL provider and ask it to secure the account and investigate unauthorized activity.

Never give a caller or message sender a security code just because they claim to be helping you recover an account.

Money or card information was involved

Call the bank or card issuer using the number on the back of the card or on an official statement. Explain whether a transaction was unauthorized, whether card details were exposed, and whether the payment was connected to a BNPL plan. Ask what steps are available to block, replace, or investigate the payment method.

Keep copies of communications, statements, case numbers, and reports. If personal information was exposed or someone opened an account in your name, the FTC's identity theft reporting guidance provides additional recovery steps.

When the email is real but the transaction is a problem

A genuine BNPL message can still describe a purchase, refund, or payment problem. Handle the underlying issue rather than treating every disagreement as fraud:

• You don't recognize the purchase: Report it to the BNPL provider and the merchant. Contact the bank or card issuer too if its account was charged.
• You authorized the purchase but want to return it: Follow the merchant's return policy. A product return is different from a fraud claim.
• The merchant approved a refund: Keep the refund confirmation and ask the BNPL provider how it will affect the remaining balance and next due date.
• A payment is due during a return or dispute: Contact the provider before changing autopay or skipping a payment. Ask what applies while the issue is being reviewed, preferably in writing.
• The account shows a payment you already made: Gather the payment date, amount, confirmation number, and bank or card statement, then ask the provider to reconcile the account.

A card dispute, a merchant return, and a BNPL account investigation are separate processes. Disputing a card charge doesn't automatically cancel the BNPL agreement. Tell each company what actually happened; don't describe an authorized purchase as fraud just to speed up a return.

What U.S. consumer rules do and don't settle

A BNPL transaction may involve a merchant, a financing provider, and a bank or card payment rail. The provider agreement and the facts of the transaction determine the immediate support process.

Summaries from Consumer Reports and KPMG describe a CFPB interpretive rule issued on May 22, 2024. The rule treated certain BNPL providers as card issuers and creditors under Regulation Z and addressed some dispute and refund obligations. Its status, coverage, and available remedy can depend on the product structure and the provider. Check current CFPB information and the agreement in your account before relying on a particular deadline or assuming that a refund right applies.

That rule doesn't mean:

• a promotional email is automatically a billing error;
• every disagreement with a merchant qualifies for a bank or card dispute;
• unsubscribing removes an existing payment obligation;
• all BNPL providers use the same refund, credit-reporting, or complaint process; or
• an email preference overrides the terms of your financing plan.

This article is focused on U.S. consumers. Klarna, Afterpay, and other providers may apply different terms by country, product, and account. If the account is outside the United States, use the agreement and support route shown for that account rather than assuming U.S. rules apply.

Keep a short record

Save:

• the original email and sender address;
• screenshots of suspicious links or account pages;
• the merchant order confirmation;
• BNPL plan and payment details;
• return tracking and refund confirmation;
• bank or card statements showing disputed transactions;
• support case numbers and dates; and
• copies of reports sent to the provider, bank, or FTC.

Before deleting a BNPL email, check its purpose through the official app. For a verified promotion, change the marketing preference. For anything involving money, account access, or a purchase you don't recognize, report it and contact the relevant provider or bank without using the email's links.