Updated
Mar 10, 2023 Even when you’re careful with your credit card usage, it’s possible for unauthorized charges to appear on your monthly statement from Wells Fargo Bank.
You should carefully review your statement for your Wells Fargo card and any other bank account you have each month to ensure you sign off on every purchase.
If you spot one you aren’t familiar with, it could be for many reasons, including a mistake by a merchant, a purchase or service you forgot about or one that is auto-renewed annually, or for a purchase that never arrived or was defective.
It could also mean your card information or account number has been stolen by a third party and that you are the victim of identity theft. Whatever the cause, it’s now time to investigate.
Contact the Merchant to Dispute a Charge
The first thing you’ll want to do is contact the merchant to learn more about the charge on your credit card account.
If it’s for a service, such as a magazine subscription, sometimes you unwittingly agree to have the charge automatically renewed. If that’s the case, your problem might be taken care of with just this phone call. Keep in mind, Wells Fargo emphasizes you should always pay attention to the terms of the sale to help prevent misunderstandings or unauthorized charges from a merchant.
Another common erroneous charge is when a merchant mistakenly charges you twice for the same item. This is easy to spot, and a quick phone call should clear this problem up.
A call to the merchant can also help if you are charged for a product you’ve never received. Sometimes items you order online can fail to reach you. Or perhaps there was a shipping error and the product was never sent out to begin with.
It can take a few minutes out of your day but calling the merchant before the card issuer may help resolve the problem without any further action necessary.
If talking to the merchant gets you nowhere, however, you can try calling the company instead. If an item arrives damaged to your house and the merchant doesn’t cover it, sometimes the company will, although that’s not always the case.
If, however, you think your card has been compromised, the first thing to do is to stop the bleeding. Call Wells Fargo to lock the account so more charges aren’t racked up on your next billing statement.
Contact Wells Fargo to Dispute a Charge
The good news is if your conversation with the merchant and the company gets you nowhere, you still have zero liability protection through your Wells Fargo credit card at no cost to you.
Visit Wells Fargo’s account services on their website to launch an investigation into the disputed credit card charge. You will likely have to answer a few quick questions, but it won’t take long, and it’s better than ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away on its own.
Remember, pending charges on your Wells Fargo accounts can’t be disputed―you have to wait until the charge has been posted, which you can view at Wells Fargo online before taking action. Also, you should be aware of the difference between disputed charges and fraudulent charges because they will be handled differently.
If you would rather speak to a person instead of just reporting it online, you can call Wells Fargo’s customer service at 1-800-642-4720. You’ll be able to discuss the problem with an experienced agent who will check into the matter for you and let you know the next steps.
If it is determined your card has been stolen or lost and that’s why unauthorized charges have cropped up, you won’t be held liable for those charges if you report the discrepancy promptly. You will likely be issued a new card and new card number to prevent any further unauthorized charges.
Bottom Line
Credit cards are a convenient way to pay for things, but they do come with some risks. To guard your interests, you should monitor your activity on your statements, keep track of your purchases, and protect your information by shredding statements and having strong passwords for your online accounts. The same holds true for your non-Wells Fargo accounts and credit cards as well.
While it can be a pain and a bit time-consuming to dispute Wells Fargo charges, it is easier to do with a credit card than it is with a debit card.
With a debit card, the money will be gone from your account before you know there has been an unauthorized charge.
With a credit card, you can spot the charge by reading your statement before you’ve sent one cent in to pay for it. Instead of recovering money that’s already been taken from your account, you can hold off on making a payment on your disputed credit card charge until a decision has been made as to its validity.