An unauthorized debit transaction appears: the first response steps

What Canadian consumers should do when a transaction they did not approve shows up.

Report it quickly

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada advises consumers to contact their financial institution or card issuer immediately after noticing an unauthorized or suspicious transaction.

Secure access

Follow the institution’s instructions for changing compromised passwords or PINs and replacing affected cards. Check other recent transactions for anything else you do not recognize.

Keep a record

Save the date, amount and merchant or ATM information shown for the transaction, along with any reference numbers from your report. This can help when following the institution’s dispute process.

This is not individualized financial advice

Online provides general editorial information and does not offer banking, credit, investment or financial-advisory services. Account-specific questions should be handled directly with the financial institution involved.