JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A First Coast News viewer emailed the "Ask Anthony" team after discovering a fraudulent purchase on his credit card.
"I need your help with a problem that I am having with VyStar. I am 75 years old and live on a fixed income so money is tight. I can't afford to pay VyStar almost $500.00 for a transaction that I did not do. There is a police report from Orange Park P.D. proving that this was fraud using my credit card number."
We called Michael Leatherwood to learn more about his problem. After speaking with him, we found out his credit card was used fraudulently at a store in Orange Park. We verified this information with a police detective.
"I spoke with VyStar several times about resolving the issue and each time I spoke with them, I got a different story," he explained. "They were holding me responsible for the $472.98 charge that was on my credit card, and now it's accumulating interest."
We contacted VyStar representatives with Leatherwood's concerns. A couple of hours later, he received a phone call that the fraudulent charge would be removed from his credit card.
"I couldn't get anything done in over two months and you were capable and able to do it in one day. Thank you very much," Leatherwood added.
VyStar sent us a statement:
"VyStar apologizes for the delay our member had resolving this fraudulent activity. The fraudulent charge on our member’s credit card was removed and our member has been notified. We will use this as a learning and training opportunity for our team to provide the experience we strive to achieve for our members. We are committed to educating our members on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud, and we have additional resources available at vystarcu.org/fraudprotection."
If you find yourself in this situation, notify your credit card company immediately. Next, place a fraud alert on your credit report. As we mentioned, Leatherwood filed a police report. It's a good idea to report your credit card fraud to law enforcement. Your credit card company has up to 90 days to resolve your dispute and they can't take legal action to collect the amount you've disputed during that time.
If you have a problem you can't solve, you can email AskAnthony@firstcoastnews.com.