Unauthorised Chinese marketplace card charge?
Freeze the affected card and contact your UK issuer immediately. Check the statement description against genuine purchases without delaying the report. Explain that you did not authorise the payment, request a refund assessment and challenge any refusal in writing. For help matching China purchasing records, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the merchant description without delaying action
Open your banking app directly and save the unfamiliar entry, including its merchant description, amount, currency, transaction date and pending or completed status. Compare it with marketplace receipts, linked-wallet activity and your business purchasing records. Ask the issuer to identify the collecting merchant and explain any payment intermediary shown.
Check with authorised cardholders and colleagues through a trusted channel. An unfamiliar description is a reason to investigate; establish whether it matches a purchase you actually approved. Do not call a telephone number embedded in the transaction description or follow an unexpected refund link. If you still suspect unauthorised use, report it immediately while these checks continue.
Secure the card and affected accounts
Use the issuer’s card-freeze control if available, then contact it through your banking app or the details on your card or statement. Ask whether replacement is needed and whether linked wallets or saved payment credentials need separate action. Tell your finance colleague if it is a company card.
Secure the linked email and marketplace account, review unfamiliar sessions and remove saved payment access where appropriate. Follow our marketplace account recovery guide for the detailed recovery and dispatch-hold steps. Preserve available records without delaying security action, and keep copies outside the affected account.
Report an unauthorised payment to your UK issuer
Say: “I did not authorise this card payment. Please record it as a disputed unauthorised transaction, secure the payment method and assess my refund request.” Give the statement entry and explain what you found in the marketplace account. Describe accurately any security code entered, banking notification approved or permission given to another person.
Ask which notification deadline and account terms apply, what evidence is needed and how pending entries will be handled. Request a case reference and written acknowledgement. Ask the issuer to confirm which UK payment rules and refund obligations apply to your unauthorised-transaction claim, including any conditions. For a company card, ask the issuer to identify the protections and terms applying to your business rather than assuming the personal-account position.
Challenge the reasons for a refused refund
Ask for the refusal in writing, the evidence relied on and the explanation of how that evidence establishes your permission. If the issuer says the card, device or security code was used, ask who approved what and how it has assessed your account of events. If it alleges fraud or gross negligence, ask for the specific conduct and supporting evidence.
Send a concise timeline, the disputed entry, relevant login alerts, order records and your explanation of any authentication prompt. Identify errors in the refusal and request reconsideration. Keep an unauthorised-payment claim distinct from an approved purchase that went wrong; our delayed-order chargeback guide covers the latter situation. Ask the issuer to explain any proposal to handle your claim solely as a goods dispute.
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Make a formal complaint and track the outcome
Use the issuer’s complaints procedure if its refusal remains unresolved. State the disputed payment, why you reject its reasoning and the remedy requested. GOV.UK says you can usually take a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if unhappy with the company’s response. Check your business’s eligibility using our business payment complaint guide, and confirm the applicable escalation deadline and response timetable.
Keep the complaint, final response and supporting records together. Ask whether any account credit is provisional, and tell the issuer about a merchant refund so the same payment is not recovered twice. If the entry turns out to be a membership collection, use our recurring shopping charges guide to address the payment authority separately.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my card statement show a name I do not recognise?
Ask your issuer to identify the collecting merchant or intermediary. Compare the entry with receipts, wallet activity and approved business purchases. Report suspected unauthorised use while checking.
Must I wait for the Chinese marketplace to reply?
Contact your UK issuer immediately and ask the marketplace to investigate alongside it. Keep both case references. Do not delay securing the card while waiting for seller support.
Can I challenge a refusal because a security code was used?
Ask how the code evidence establishes your permission and request written reasons. Explain truthfully whether you entered or shared a code, what the prompt said and what you believed you were approving.
What if my bank still refuses an unauthorised-payment refund?
Make a formal complaint with your timeline and the errors in its reasoning. Ask for its final response and escalation details. Check business eligibility and the relevant deadline before approaching the Financial Ombudsman Service.