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Credit Card Fraud and Account Protection

Learn how Discover monitors your account for fraud.

3 min read

Last Updated: October 9, 2024

Key Takeaways

Discover® Card constantly monitors your card for fraudulent activity.
If Discover suspects fraud, we may ask you to review and verify recent transactions.
Contact Discover customer service if you suspect fraud on your account.

At Discover, credit card fraud and account security are important. Below, find answers to frequently asked questions about security measures in place that help us monitor and protect your credit card information from fraud.

Discover monitors your account through a free warning system. This tool constantly monitors your card for any fraudulent activity. We’ll quickly notify you with a fraud alert if we see any unusual activity. Click the link to sign up for fraud alerts.

You should regularly check your statement or your online account portal for any suspicious or unknown purchases. If you notice any unusual transactions, check with anyone you authorized to use your card to see if they recognize the transactions. If they don’t, you can initiate a dispute or contact Customer Service.

If you’re a Discover Cardmember, you can notify Discover if you’re planning to travel, especially outside of the United States. When you let us know you’re traveling out of the country, we can ensure uninterrupted use of your Discover Card.

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The Discover $0 Fraud Liability Guarantee means you’re never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your Discover Card account.¹

You should always log out at the end of each Account Center session to avoid credit fraud. If you don’t log out, others using the same computer could potentially access information saved or cached in the memory of the browser. As an extra precaution, close your browser’s window before leaving the computer.

If you request another card design and have multiple cards under your account, make sure you keep track of your cards and destroy your old card once it’s expired.

A good password should be easy for you to remember but hard for somebody else to guess. Avoid using passwords that others might guess, such as a birth date, common phrases, or pet’s name. Select passwords you’ll remember but try replacing some of the letters with numbers (“secret” might be “s1cr1t,” for example). And mix up your passwords—use different passwords at each website.

If we detect unusual activity on your account, we may ask you to review recent transactions and verify they’re valid.

Did you know?

Along with account protection and excellent customer service, Discover offers credit cards with great rewards and benefits. Compare Discover against the competition to find the card that’s best for you.

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You can verify your transactions online or through the Discover mobile app. If you prefer to contact us by phone, you can call 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683).

Please call 1-800-347-2683 so that we may review your transactions with you and take appropriate action.

When you verify your recent activity, each transaction will say approved or declined. Once you’re logged in to the Account Center, approved transactions will be displayed in the Pending Transactions section of your Account Activity.

If a Fraud Resolution Specialist is available to chat with you, an option to “Chat Now” will be provided on the transaction verification page. If chat agents aren’t available, you can contact us at 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683).

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