NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs wants to educate consumers about ways to protect yourself against fraud related to mobile phone payments.
“The increased usage of technology is a double-edged sword,” TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini said. “While technology allows greater consumer convenience, it also gives criminals greater opportunity to take advantage of hard-working Tennessee residents. We urge Tennesseans to take precautions to ensure they don’t become victims.”
TIPS TO SAFEGUARD YOUR MOBILE DEVICES
According to Consumer Action News, one of the most significant concerns for users of mobile phone payments—often called “tap-and-pay”—is how to resolve disputes about fraudulent or unauthorized charges.
Depending on the source of funds used to make a mobile payment (such as a credit, debit or prepaid card), the rules governing unauthorized charges differ. Currently, prepaid cards and mobile payments don’t have the same legal protections as credit cards and debit cards.
Problems with mobile transactions paid for with a linked credit or debit card typically should be taken up with your card issuer. If you are using a credit or debit card, you have the right to dispute errors and limit liability for unauthorized (fraudulent) charges. Generally, credit cards provide the strongest level of legal protection.
Mobile wallet and prepaid card users have no clear-cut dispute and error resolution rights, although most issuers voluntarily provide “zero liability” assurances for fraud on credit, debit and prepaid cards.
Google’s Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are pass-through mobile payment systems. This means you link a payment card (credit or debit) to make payments. If you spot a billing error, contact the issuer of the credit or debit card you linked to, as well as the merchant where the transaction occurred. In most cases, you’ll have to wait until the purchase posts to your credit or debit card account before you can dispute it. If the problem is about a charge you didn’t make, then contact the card issuer immediately to alert them that someone used your card without your permission.