Why is it if a fraudulent charge is put on one's credit card...

[ailsagirl]

the culprits aren't liable for anything?

I had a foreign company casually slip a $90 charge on a cc and, while I reported it and it was removed, how come the seedy company wasn't charged with fraud or SOMETHING???

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Gotta catch them first.

But anyhow, since normally your bank will refund fraudulent charges to you, after that it's between the bank and the crook - so you aren't likely to know whether the crook was ever caught.

[ailsagirl]

2. That's a good point-- as long as I'm not liable!

[rzemanfl]

3. I am more worried about a fraudulent pResident in the White House myself. n/t

[ailsagirl]

5. THAT goes without saying, rzemanfl!!!

[Liberty Belle]

4. If it's foreign then U.S. prosecutors can't reach them.

Though it's hard enough to get them to even go after crooks in the U.s. who do this.

I always pay with credit cards where possible, not checks and never debit cards. Credit card companies will take fraudulent charges off and often go to bat for you in disputes. For instance, i prepaid for service with a company that went out of business, and got the charge taken off my account.

[ailsagirl]

6. Yep-- credit cards are the way to go

Nice that they took care of the charge from the company that went out of business!

[Turbineguy]

7. That's what the 29% interest rate is for.

[Liberty Belle]

8. Ouch.

I guess for people with credit problems that may not be a good solution.

We just pay our card off every month, so don't pay interest, except for a couple of times when some small emergency made us do payments for a couple of months.