A service offered to file chargebacks and recover my money for a fee, legit?
No. A "chargeback recovery" service that contacts you and charges a fee to dispute your transactions is a scam, because filing a chargeback is something you do yourself for free through your own bank or card issuer. The pitch collects a fee plus your card details and delivers nothing.
Part of our guide: What to do if you got scammed →
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This targets people who lost money on a card and don't realize that disputing a charge is a free, built-in right with their own bank. By wrapping a normal chargeback in jargon and a "case-setup fee," the scam sells back something the victim already owns, and quietly collects the full card number in the process, setting up a fresh round of fraud.
Illustrative example of the pattern, not a real message someone received.
How to verify it yourself
- Filing a chargeback or dispute is free and you do it directly with your own bank or card issuer.
- No third party needs your full card number to "recover" money, that request is a red flag.
- Any "case-setup" or processing fee to dispute your own transactions is the scam.
- Contact the number on the back of your card, not a service that emailed you.
Common questions
is a chargeback recovery service a scam
If it contacted you and charges a fee to dispute your own charges, yes. You can raise the same dispute for free by calling your bank directly.
can I pay someone to file chargebacks for me
You never need to. Disputes are filed through your own card issuer at no cost, so a paid "chargeback service" is selling a free thing to steal a fee and your card number.
service wants my card details to recover money
Stop there. Your bank already has your card details; anyone else asking for your full number to "recover" funds is harvesting it, not helping.
how do I dispute a fraudulent charge myself
Call the number on the back of your card or use your bank's app to open a dispute. It is free, and the issuer, not a middleman, decides the outcome.
If you already responded
- If you handed over card details, call your card issuer now to freeze the card and open a real dispute.
- Stop contact and pay no setup or processing fee.
- Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.