Usually, no. Unauthorized charges on a credit card you already have do not automatically lower your credit score. The score risk arises when the fraud causes a missed payment or puts an inaccurate account, balance, or delinquency on your credit reports.
That distinction determines what to do next. A billing dispute with your card issuer addresses fraudulent purchases on an existing account. Identity-theft and credit-report disputes address a new account or false delinquency opened or reported in your name.
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The two situations people call credit card fraud
Fraud can affect your credit in two different ways. Treating them as the same problem can leave an inaccurate account on your reports or cause you to miss a payment while an issuer investigates.
| Situation | Primary problem | Where to dispute | Credit-score risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized purchases on an existing card | Fraudulent transactions on an account you opened | The card issuer’s fraud or billing-inquiries department | No automatic score drop; risk comes from an unpaid or incorrectly reported balance |
| Identity theft that creates a new account | An account, balance, or delinquency reported in your name without your authorization | Each credit bureau showing the error and the company that supplied the information | Possible damage because an unpaid account or delinquency can appear in your file |
| Both situations | A compromised existing card plus identity-theft activity elsewhere | Issuer, bureaus, furnisher, and identity-theft recovery channels as applicable | Depends on which inaccurate or delinquent items reach your reports |
The Federal Trade Commission explains the billing-error process for card charges in its credit-card dispute guidance and explains credit-report corrections in its credit-report error guidance.
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Why an unauthorized charge on an existing card normally does not lower your score
A charge itself is not a negative credit-report entry. The problem begins if the account is reported as delinquent, or if an inaccurate balance remains on your reports and affects a lender’s decision. Promptly notifying the issuer separates the fraudulent transactions from the amount you actually owe.
Federal law limits liability for unauthorized credit-card charges to $50, according to the FTC. To use the federal billing-error procedure, send a written dispute to the issuer’s billing-inquiries address within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent. Calling the fraud number is useful for speed, but the written notice is what preserves the procedure described by the FTC.
While the issuer investigates a properly disputed billing error, you may withhold the disputed amount but should pay every other part of the bill by its due date. Under the FTC’s description of the process, the issuer may not threaten your credit rating or report you as delinquent for exercising those dispute rights, provided you follow the required procedure.
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How identity theft can damage a score
If a thief opens an account in your name, the business may report that account and later report it unpaid. A false balance or delinquency can then affect borrowing and other decisions even though you never authorized the account. The same issue can occur when a legitimate account is altered with an inaccurate balance or payment status.
This is a credit-report problem in addition to any card-billing problem. Disputing only the fraudulent purchase with your existing issuer will not remove a separate account reported by another company. You must challenge each inaccurate item with every bureau that displays it and with the business that furnished the information.
Signs that the issue has reached your reports
- A new account you do not recognize appears in a credit report.
- An account shows a balance or delinquency that does not match your records.
- A debt collector or lender contacts you about an account you never opened.
- A lender makes a decision using information you believe is connected to the theft.
What to do immediately
- Contact the card issuer. Use the fraud or billing-inquiries department as soon as you notice the transaction. Ask whether the card should be blocked or replaced, and keep the case number, dates, names, and copies of every message.
- Send the written billing dispute. Address it to the issuer’s billing-inquiries address, not merely a payment address. State which transactions are unauthorized and retain proof that the issuer received the notice. The FTC’s 60-day rule is measured from the date the first statement containing the error was sent.
- Pay the undisputed balance. Continue paying charges you recognize. Withholding the disputed amount is different from stopping all payments; paying nothing can create a delinquency unrelated to the fraud.
- Secure the existing account. Ask the issuer about a replacement card, new account number, and any additional controls. A credit freeze is not a substitute for this step because it does not stop transactions on an account that already exists.
- Review your credit reports. Look for unfamiliar accounts, balances, and payment statuses, not just the card where you saw the first fraudulent charge. The FTC says consumers can obtain a free report from each of the three nationwide bureaus once every 12 months and describes ongoing weekly access through the official AnnualCreditReport.com service; confirm the current access terms when you request reports.
- Dispute every inaccurate credit entry. Send a dispute to each bureau showing the item and separately to the company that supplied the information. Identify the account or balance that is wrong and keep copies of the submissions and responses.
- Use the identity-theft recovery process. If a new account or other identity theft is involved, start at IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and an Identity Theft Report. The FTC’s identity-theft guidance also discusses fraud alerts, security freezes, and monitoring.
- Escalate if the problem remains. If the issuer or a bureau does not correct the matter after you follow its process, the FTC materials direct consumers to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s complaint process as an additional route.
Key deadlines and time frames
| Time frame | What it means |
|---|---|
| 60 days | Your written billing-error dispute should reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent if you want to use the FTC-described federal procedure. |
| 30 days | The issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days, unless it resolves the matter sooner. |
| 90 days | The issuer generally must resolve the billing-error investigation within 90 days. |
| 12 months | The FTC says consumers have a free report from each of the three nationwide bureaus once every 12 months. The same guidance describes ongoing weekly free access through AnnualCreditReport.com; check the official service for current availability. |
| July 30, 2026 | This is the last-reviewed date shown on the CFPB’s identity-theft recovery answer. Agency procedures and access rules can change, so use the current agency pages when filing a complaint or requesting help. |
These are procedural time frames, not promises about how many points a score will change or how quickly it will recover.
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How to correct a fraud-related credit-report entry
Dispute with every bureau that shows the error
Credit reports are separate files. If the same fraudulent account appears on more than one report, send a dispute to each bureau displaying it. A correction at one bureau does not automatically prove that every other file has been updated.
Dispute with the furnisher as well
The company that supplied the account or payment information also needs notice. Send the same core explanation and retain the account details, dates, and supporting records. The FTC’s guidance treats disputes with both the reporting bureau and the furnishing business as part of correcting inaccurate information.
Use an Identity Theft Report when appropriate
IdentityTheft.gov can provide a recovery plan and an Identity Theft Report for suspected identity theft. Keep the report with your correspondence; it helps establish that the account or delinquency was not authorized by you.
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Fraud alerts, security freezes, and monitoring
Security freeze
A security freeze is free and does not affect your score. The FTC states: A credit freeze does not affect your credit score.
A freeze is designed to help prevent a thief from opening new accounts, but it does not stop charges on a credit-card account you already have. You still need the issuer to block or replace a compromised card.
Fraud alert
A fraud alert can signal to businesses that they should take additional steps before opening new credit in your name. It addresses prospective new-account activity; it does not reverse an unauthorized purchase or remove an existing delinquency by itself.
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Monitoring services can provide alerts or assistance, but the FTC notes that some charge monthly or annual fees. Compare any paid service with free report access and your ability to check reports yourself. Monitoring is optional; it is not a replacement for disputing an inaccurate entry or securing the affected card.
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What if your score already fell?
First identify the exact report entry associated with the change. A fraudulent charge on an existing account, a newly opened account, and a false late-payment status require different corrections. Save the statement showing the charge, the issuer’s dispute correspondence, credit reports with the inaccurate item marked, and every response you receive.
No official guidance cited here gives a universal number of points lost or a standard recovery timetable after fraud. The practical objective is to remove or correct inaccurate information and prevent additional reporting, rather than guessing how many points a particular correction will produce.
Common mistakes that make the situation worse
- Only making a phone call: A call can start the investigation, but send the written billing dispute to the correct address when using the federal billing-error procedure.
- Missing the 60-day window: Waiting can make it harder to use the specific protections described by the FTC.
- Stopping every payment: Pay the undisputed portion while the issuer investigates.
- Assuming a freeze blocks card charges: It helps with new accounts, not transactions on an existing card.
- Checking only the card involved: Identity theft can create separate accounts or false delinquencies elsewhere in your reports.
- Disputing with only one party: Notify every bureau showing the error and the business that furnished the information.
- Paying for monitoring before using free tools: Review the free-report options and identity-theft recovery resources first, then decide whether a paid service adds value.
Bottom line for cardholders
Unauthorized purchases on an existing credit card do not, by themselves, lower your credit score. Act quickly: notify the issuer, submit the written dispute within the applicable window, pay the undisputed balance, and check all credit reports. If the fraud created a new account or false delinquency, pursue separate disputes with the bureaus and the information furnisher and use IdentityTheft.gov’s recovery process. A freeze can help prevent new accounts, but only the issuer can secure an already compromised card.
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