Disputing an erroneous charge and reporting a fraudulent charge require different actions on the part of the cardholder. Here is the distinction between the two types of charges:
Erroneous charge: are charges from a vendor that is not a result of fraud but that must be disputed; examples include
- a charge for an item never received
- a charge for a returned item
- a charge that includes sales tax
- a charge mistakenly placed on the account by the vendor
If cardholders notice any differences between the statement and their receipts, or if there are any items on the statement that appear to be incorrect, they should first try to resolve these direct with the merchant/supplier.
If the item cannot be resolved directly with the supplier, cardholders should contact Citi Customer Service at 1-800-248-4553 (call collect 1-904-954-7314 when dialing outside from outside the U.S.), who will send by fax or US mail a pre-filled dispute form to pursue their dispute formally including reason for the dispute and a copy of the statement highlighting the error. This Form should be signed and returned by fax or US Mail with any additional documentation (e.g. copy of credit receipt) to Citibank Customer Service.
Citibank cannot accept dispute forms without the cardholder’s signature because they might be used as legal documents and Citibank needs to compare the signature on the dispute form with the signature that the merchant might present.
For the dispute raised from the US, the time frame for advising Citi of the dispute would be 60 days from statement date where charge first appears.
Fraudulent charge: Card charges not made by the cardholder, sometimes from an unknown merchant, usually a result of
- theft of the physical Corporate Card
- loss of the physical Corporate Card
- theft of the Corporate Card account number
Cardholders who identify potential fraudulent transactions on their statement should immediately notify Citibank Customer Service at 1-800-248-4553 (call collect 1-904-954-7314 when dialing from outside the U.S.) who will work with the cardholder to either block or cancel the card immediately. The account will then be transferred to a member of the Citibank Fraud Department who will work with the cardholder to review transactions and complete an investigation of the suspect activity. Cardholders may be asked to complete an affidavit detailing any fraudulent transactions.
Cardholders should be advised to report a card as lost or stolen or to report any suspected fraud activity on their account as soon as they become aware of the situation. This immediate action on the part of the cardholder may help to expedite the fraud investigation, limit unauthorized activity and reduce the liability your company may have.