Credit card scam?

Question

I used a website looking for a credit history on a potential tenant. No response from this website of any kind. Now they have my credit card, my information and the potential tenant's info. How can I take care of this? Website was public people finder. Is it a scam?

Answer 1

It may be a scam, there are many good ones out there, but some bad ones too. Notify the credit card company, and have them call you if anyone attempts to charge on your card.

Answer 2

It is possible that the site is a scam or that the service is sloppy. Watch your account-are there any new charges that you didn't authorize?
If the service isn't provided and you can't contact the merchant you need to initiate a chargeback. You can do this by calling your bank and letting them know that you didn't receive the service you paid for and you want your account to be credited.
You only have 120 calendar days to do this so don't take too long to decide. Give your bank the merchant's information and they will do the rest.
Your bank will issue you a conditional credit, DON'T spend it. They will proceed with the chargeback and debit the merchant's account. The merchant will have a chance to respond and provide proof of service. Chargebacks have 2 stages of challenge and response before things heat up and everything goes to arbitration and the credit card company decides your fate. This is in your cardholder agreement and non-negotiable.

Visa is more likely to rule in favor of the cardholder than MasterCard but be aware, there are several hundred dollars worth of fees and filing costs that are paid by the loser, meaning you or the merchant.
The next stages are court filings and credit reports, possible criminal charges depending on the service and the charge and the loss of your credit card.

Make sure you keep your documents clear, save everything. Make screen prints of the websites terms and conditions, hopefully there will be a clause about tenant information protection so that you won't be held liable for any damage that may happen because of this.

Good luck to you, these take time and patience.

Answer 3

You won't like this answer, but if it's not a legitimate lending institution, you will most likely never see that money again. It was probably a shell operation that has no legitimate address or phone number. Depending on how long they've been running it, it may have closed out by now and started up operating under a new name. You are not alone, I lost almost $300 years ago with a scam offering a blocking service for junk, advertising phone calls. I learned my lesson to never sign up for anything without doing your homework first and verifying you are dealing with a real business. Your only recourse, if they are still around, is to file a claim with the small claims court in the city listed as their address. You can most likely get the forms off the Internet (use Google and search the city government sites) and do it yourself. You do not need a lawyer. It'll probably net you nothing but at least you reported them. You can also call the Better Business Bureau in the same city and report them as well. I hope you have closed your checking account! If not, do it now!!!!!!

Answer 4

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