01
Lock the card
In your bank or Venmo app. It stops new charges while you sort out the old ones.
Charge Decoder
What is this charge?
Paste a weird charge, find out who billed you, whether it looks like a scam, and get a ready-to-send dispute letter.
Decode a charge
Only the description is required. Amount and date sharpen the verdict and fill in your letter.
Paste the charge description first.
Try an example
Unknown
What to do
Everything runs on this page. No charge, name or card number leaves your device.
How to read a charge
Every descriptor has up to three parts.
Example: SQ *MYPHARMACY*#02943 is Square + My Pharmacy + an identifier.
Processor prefix
SQ *
Who moved the money. Square, PayPal, Toast and others put a short code first.
Merchant name
MYPHARMACY
Who you actually paid. Often cut short: descriptors are capped around 22 characters.
Suffix, sometimes
*#02943
A location code or order number. Useful when you call the merchant.
Prefix cheat sheet
The first few letters tell you who processed it.
| Prefix | Processor | What it usually means |
|---|
Scam warning signs
Small, repeated and overnight is the pattern to watch.
Repeated small charges
$5 to $15, close together. Small enough to slip past a quick glance.
Overnight timing
Many hit while you are asleep, before you can react.
LTD, GLOBAL, SYSTEMS
Merchant names ending this way, with no website you recognize.
Overseas processors
Charges through processors you have never used.
After a trial or prompt
Charges right after a free trial or a "verify your card" prompt.
What to do in the first hour
Five moves, in this order.
02
Screenshot every charge
Description, amount, date and time. You will need them for each dispute.
03
Dispute each one
With your card issuer or Venmo, one dispute per charge. Venmo support: help.venmo.com, (855) 812-4430.
04
Change passwords on the app
Starting with the app the card is linked to.
05
Turn on transaction alerts
So the next charge pings your phone the moment it lands.
Coming soon
Two things we are building next.
Report a charge
Coming soon
Add a charge you decoded to grow the shared database, so the next person gets a faster answer.
Dispute letter pack $3
Coming soon
Letters tuned for your bank, Venmo, PayPal and Cash App.