Are You Paying for Something You Never Approved?
Many people don’t notice unauthorized payments until weeks or even months—after they begin. Some fraudulent charges are large and obvious, but many are intentionally small, making them easy to overlook. Criminals may also disguise charges with unfamiliar merchant names or use stolen payment information to create recurring transactions.
Regularly reviewing your financial accounts is one of the best ways to detect fraud early and reduce potential losses.
Warning Signs of Unauthorized Payments
Watch for:
- Small charges you don’t recognize (sometimes called “test charges”)
- Recurring subscriptions you never signed up for
- Duplicate charges for a single purchase
- Merchant names that don’t match where you shopped
- Purchases made while your card or phone was in your possession
- Payments from unfamiliar locations or countries
- Email receipts for purchases you never made
Even a charge of just a few dollars deserves attention. Fraudsters sometimes test whether an account is active before attempting larger purchases.
How to Check Your Credit Card
At least once a month—and preferably once a week:
- Review every transaction instead of only your balance.
- Compare charges against your receipts and purchase history.
- Look for recurring monthly charges you no longer recognize.
- Check for purchases made at unusual times or locations.
- Turn on transaction alerts so you’re notified whenever your card is used.
These steps will protect you moving forward.
How to Check PayPal
Review your:
- Recent activity
- Automatic payments and subscriptions
- Linked bank accounts and credit cards
- Login history, if available
- Security settings, including two-factor authentication
If you find an unfamiliar automatic payment, cancel it immediately and report it through PayPal’s Resolution Center.
How to Check Venmo
Look for:
- Payments you don’t remember sending
- Requests that appear suspicious
- Unknown recipients
- Unexpected transfers from your linked bank account
- Changes to your profile or linked payment methods
If anything looks suspicious, change your password immediately and enable two-factor authentication if it isn’t already turned on.
Protect Yourself
Reduce your risk by:
- Reviewing all accounts weekly.
- Enabling transaction notifications.
- Using strong, unique passwords.
- Turning on two-factor authentication whenever available.
- Avoiding payment links from unexpected emails or text messages.
- Keeping your devices updated with the latest security patches.
- Never sharing one-time verification codes.
Changing your passwords on a regular basis is a good idea.
What to Do If You Find an Unauthorized Payment
Act quickly:
- Contact your credit card company, PayPal, or Venmo immediately.
- Lock or freeze your card or account if that option is available.
- Change your password and review your security settings.
- Remove unfamiliar devices or sessions from your account.
- Report the transaction through the payment provider’s dispute process.
- Continue monitoring your accounts for additional suspicious activity.
The sooner unauthorized activity is reported, the greater the chance of preventing additional losses.
Final Thoughts
Financial fraud often starts with a single unnoticed transaction. Spending just a few minutes each week reviewing your credit card, PayPal, and Venmo activity can help you catch unauthorized payments before they become a much larger problem. Staying alert, using account alerts, and acting quickly when something doesn’t look right are among the most effective ways to protect your money.
