The government agency that has jurisdiction over credit card fraud depends on the type and severity of the crime involved. If someone's stolen and used your credit card, it's a major inconvenience for you. If criminals steal the credit card information of thousands, if not millions, of people, it can affect financial institutions and businesses worldwide.
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission offers advice on dealing with lost or stolen credit cards, although it does not conduct investigations. You should contact your local police department if your credit card is used fraudulently.
Department of Justice
The Department of Justice investigates mass-market fraud, including credit cards. This includes "phishing," where criminals send phony emails that appear to be from the card issuer in order to get personal information, as well as interest-reduction fraud schemes for credit card users.
Secret Service
The Secret Service investigates credit card crimes such as access device fraud, or skimming. It also investigates cases of credit card identity theft.
References
- Department of Justice: What Is Mass-Marketing Fraud?
- Experian. "Identity Theft Statistics." Accessed May 11, 2020.
- Federal Trade Commission. "Consumer Information: Lost or Stolen Credit, ATM, and Debit Cards." Accessed May 11, 2020.
- Federal Trade Commission. "Consumer Information: Credit Card Loss Protection." Accessed May 11, 2020.
Writer Bio
A graduate of New York University, Jane Meggitt's work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Sapling, Zack's, Financial Advisor, nj.com, LegalZoom and The Nest.