A Koala Secure charge on your card is a recurring payment to Peakstar Technologies Inc. for a VPN and cloud privacy subscription sold under the Koala Secure brand. On statements it usually reads as “KOALA 866-377-9822” or “KOALASECURE.COM.” Most people who see it unexpectedly signed up for a free trial or promotional offer that quietly converted into a paid plan.
If the descriptor on your statement doesn’t match a VPN service, you may be looking at a different company. Koala Secure is not connected to Koala Apps (a Shopify analytics extension) or Koala.sh (an AI platform).
Why the Charge Showed Up
The usual explanation is a forgotten trial. You entered card details for a free period, the trial ended, and billing kicked in automatically. VPN apps are often bundled with other downloads or pushed through pop-up promotions, so the sign-up may not be memorable. The charge then arrives weeks or months later under a name you don’t recognize.
Before assuming fraud, check with anyone who shares your card and search your email for confirmations from Koala Secure or Peakstar Technologies. If nothing turns up and no one in your household signed up, treat the charge as unauthorized and move to dispute it with your bank.
How to Cancel the Subscription
Write down the charge date, exact amount, and the last four digits of the card that was billed. Then contact Koala Secure. The company lists support at info@koalaapps.net. There is no phone number on its contact page, but the 866-377-9822 line printed in the billing descriptor is worth trying, since the company put it there for this purpose.
If you originally subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, you have to cancel through the store, not the merchant. On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, and tap Subscriptions. On Android, open the Google Play app, go to your subscriptions, and tap Cancel Subscription on the Koala Secure entry. App stores control billing for anything bought through them, so contacting Peakstar directly won’t stop charges routed through Apple or Google.
Save every confirmation email or screenshot. That documentation is what makes a bank dispute straightforward if the charges continue.
Getting a Refund
Koala Secure’s terms offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on initial purchases. Requests within 30 days of being charged are eligible for a full refund. Anything past 30 days is not accepted under the guarantee, and installation or customization fees are excluded.1Koala Apps. Terms and Conditions
If the merchant denies the refund or you’re outside the window, the next move is your card issuer.
Disputing the Charge With Your Bank
Credit Card Charges
The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days from when the statement containing the charge was sent to formally dispute it. The dispute has to be in writing and sent to the creditor’s billing inquiries address, not the payment address. Include your name, account number, the amount, and why you believe it’s an error.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors The card issuer must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles. During the investigation, the creditor cannot try to collect the disputed amount or report it as delinquent.
Debit Card Charges
Debit protections are weaker and the clock runs faster. Report an unauthorized charge within two business days of discovering it and your liability caps at $50. Between two and 60 days after your statement is sent, exposure rises to $500. Miss 60 days entirely and you can be liable for everything taken after that.3eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.6 – Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers
Federal law only requires banks to accept debit disputes for unauthorized transactions and processing errors. Quality-of-service disputes aren’t federally mandated for debit the way they are for credit, though many banks still work with cardholders voluntarily.
Filing a Chargeback
If the merchant ignores your cancellation, refuses a refund, or keeps billing after you’ve canceled, ask your card issuer to open a chargeback. Have ready: the transaction date and amount, any cancellation confirmation you saved, and a timeline showing when you asked to cancel versus when charges continued. The bank typically issues a temporary credit while it investigates. The merchant then has a window to submit evidence that you agreed to the subscription. Without that evidence, the credit becomes permanent.
Chargebacks are a last resort. Banks track repeat filers, and merchants sometimes block customers who file them from future purchases.
Your Legal Protections on Subscription Billing
The Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act requires any company selling online through a negative option feature to clearly disclose all pricing terms before collecting billing information, get your informed consent to the recurring charge, and provide a simple mechanism to stop future billing.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 8403 – Negative Option Marketing on the Internet A price buried in fine print or a cancellation process designed to be difficult likely violates that law.
The FTC’s Click-to-Cancel rule adds that canceling must be as easy as signing up. If you subscribed online, the company cannot force you to call a phone number or work through a chatbot to get out. Sellers also have to disclose the exact deadline to cancel before charges begin and obtain consent separately from other terms.5Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule
Reporting Koala Secure to the FTC
If you believe you were charged without proper disclosure or consent, file a report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The FTC will not resolve your individual case, but reports feed pattern analysis and enforcement against companies that violate subscription rules.6Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov Filing takes a few minutes and creates a record that strengthens any dispute you bring to your bank.