A SPOTPLUSH charge on your credit card is an unfamiliar billing descriptor that typically points to an online subscription you may not have knowingly agreed to. The pattern matches a widespread type of scam in which fraudulent storefronts collect card details at checkout and then bill customers on a recurring basis. If you don’t recognize the charge, call your card issuer using the number on the back of your card, report it as unauthorized, and ask for the recurring billing to be blocked and a new card issued.
What SPOTPLUSH Usually Means on a Statement
Billing descriptors often look nothing like the store where a purchase was made. Some businesses process payments through parent companies or third-party processors, so the name on your statement can be unfamiliar even for a legitimate purchase. In other cases, the descriptor belongs to a merchant that isn’t legitimate at all.
Cybersecurity researchers at Bitdefender documented a coordinated campaign involving more than 200 fraudulent websites that mimic real online retailers. The sites are promoted mainly through Facebook ads, often using “mystery box” offers as bait, and the real goal is to capture credit card information and enroll shoppers in recurring subscription charges without making the recurring nature clear at checkout. Bitdefender found examples of charges recurring as often as every 14 days.1Bitdefender. Active Subscription Scam Campaigns Flooding the Internet
A SPOTPLUSH charge fits that pattern. It may trace back to a site you visited after clicking a social media ad, or to card details compromised some other way. Either way, more charges are likely unless you act.
How to Stop and Dispute the Charge
Start by ruling out the obvious. Check with anyone who has authorized access to your card, look through your email for order confirmations, and search the merchant name to see if it maps to a company you recognize. If you use PayPal, Apple Wallet, or Google Wallet, check those transaction histories too.2Credit One Bank. What Is This Charge on My Credit Card
If the charge still looks unauthorized, call your credit card issuer using the number on the back of the card. Report the charge as fraudulent, and ask the issuer to block future charges from that merchant. In most cases you’ll be issued a new card number. You are not required to pay the disputed amount while the investigation is underway, though you must keep paying the rest of your balance.3NerdWallet. Dispute Fraudulent Credit Card Charges
Follow the call with a written dispute. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the letter must go to the issuer’s address for billing inquiries, not the payment address, and it must reach the issuer within 60 days of the date the statement containing the charge was mailed to you. Include your name, account number, a description of the charge, and copies of any supporting documents. Send it by certified mail with a return receipt.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
Once the issuer receives your written dispute, it must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve the investigation within two billing cycles, up to a maximum of 90 days. During that period the issuer cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent to the credit bureaus or send it to collections.3NerdWallet. Dispute Fraudulent Credit Card Charges
What You Could Owe
Federal law limits your exposure. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and for unauthorized charges made online you generally owe nothing. Most major issuers go further with zero-liability policies that cover any charge you didn’t authorize.3NerdWallet. Dispute Fraudulent Credit Card Charges
Where to Report the Merchant
Disputing with your card issuer protects your money. Reporting the merchant helps investigators build cases against scam operations.
- Federal Trade Commission: File a fraud report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC doesn’t resolve individual cases, but reports feed Consumer Sentinel, a database shared with more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.5Federal Trade Commission. Report Fraud
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Submit a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, especially if your card issuer mishandles the dispute. The CFPB forwards complaints to the company, which typically must respond within 15 days.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint
- State attorney general: The National Association of Attorneys General maintains a directory at naag.org to help you find the right office.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint
If you believe your card information was stolen and used to create accounts or charges you never initiated, the FTC recommends visiting IdentityTheft.gov to start a recovery plan.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
If the issuer sides with the merchant after investigating, you can appeal. Write to the issuer within the time frame it specifies or within 10 days of receiving the explanation, whichever is later.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges