A “PALOTV” charge on your credit card is suspicious and not something that WalletHub’s experts recognize. It could be evidence of fraud, so you should contact your card’s issuer to find out more information and dispute the charge if necessary.
If the charge is indeed fraudulent, your issuer can send you a new card with a new number in order to prevent any further illegitimate transactions. You also won’t have any liability for the fraudulent transaction.
What to Do When You See a Suspicious Credit Card Charge
- Review your statements: Thoroughly examine your credit card statements to ensure the charge is not a legitimate transaction that you may have overlooked or forgotten. Also, search for any other similar charges you don’t recognize.
- Talk to your authorized users: If you share your credit line with anyone else, ask them if they recognize the charge, in case it’s something they purchased that you were unaware of.
- Contact your credit card issuer: Contact your issuer’s customer service department by calling the number on the back of your card. Report the suspicious charge to your issuer and request further investigation.
- Dispute the charge: If your issuer is not able to clear up the issue, dispute the charge. You can typically do this either over the phone with a customer service representative or online.
- Request a new card: Getting a new credit card with a new number can prevent further instances of fraud from the same source. This will not affect your credit score or the terms of your account in any way.
- Consider fraud alerts or credit freezes: Consider placing a fraud alert or even a credit freeze on your credit file. A fraud alert notifies creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit, while a credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, making it more difficult for fraudsters to open new accounts in your name.
- Monitor your account: Keep a close eye on your credit card account for any additional unauthorized transactions. Consider setting up transaction alerts or notifications to receive real-time updates on account activity. Report any new suspicious charges promptly to your credit card issuer for investigation.
- Monitor your credit report: Regularly review your credit report for any unusual activity, such as new accounts opened in your name or inquiries you didn't initiate. You can obtain free credit reports from each of the major credit bureaus once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com. Plus, you can view your TransUnion credit report for free on WalletHub, updated daily. WalletHub also offers free credit monitoring, which notifies you of important changes to your credit report.
In conclusion, we recommend reporting the “PALOTV” charge to your credit card issuer as soon as possible and taking other necessary steps to make sure your finances are secure. In particular, we recommend signing up for transaction monitoring from WalletHub. You can customize your alerts so you know pretty much right away when suspicious purchases are made.
This answer was last updated on 05/08/24 and it was first published on 02/23/24. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
