I think this charge is fraudulent

3 min read

Quick answer #

If you don’t recognise a charge on your statement and nobody you live with does either, treat it as potentially fraudulent. Call your bank using the number on the back of your card immediately — they can reverse the transaction and block the card. Don’t contact Pay@ Gateway first; your bank is the right starting point because they can see your full account, verify your identity, and dispute the charge formally on your behalf. Acting fast matters: most banks give you stronger protection if you report within a few days.

Why your bank is the right first call #

When fraud happens, three parties are involved:

You — the cardholder
Your bank — the card issuer who controls your account
Pay@ Gateway — the payment processor who moved the funds

Of these, only your bank can verify your identity, see your full account history, freeze the card, dispute the charge, and credit you back if the dispute is upheld. Pay@ Gateway can’t do any of these — we don’t see your card details, can’t access your bank account, and have no legal relationship with you as a cardholder.

That’s why we always recommend contacting your bank first. Acting through them is faster, more effective, and gives you the strongest legal protection under South African banking rules.

Step 1 — Call your bank immediately #

Use the phone number on the back of your card. Don’t search Google for “FNB fraud number” or “Capitec fraud number” — phishing sites mimic these. Use only the number printed on the card itself.

Tell them:

You don’t recognise a charge on your account
The date of the charge
The amount
The merchant name (it’ll show as “PAYAT GATEWAY” with the business name)

Your bank will:

Block the card so no further fraudulent transactions can occur
Open a dispute on the transaction
Provisionally credit your account while they investigate (this is usually quick for clear fraud cases)
Send you a new card

Step 2 — Document what you can #

While the bank investigates, make notes on:

When you first noticed the charge
Any unusual emails, SMSes, or activity in the lead-up (could indicate phishing or card skimming)
Where you last used the card (online, in-store, ATM)
Whether anyone else has access to the card (family, partner, household members)

This helps the bank identify the source of compromise and prevent it happening again.

Step 3 — Change your card and any associated passwords #

A fraudulent charge often means your card details have been exposed. Even after the bank blocks the card, take these steps:

Wait for the replacement card the bank sends you. Don’t reuse the old card number even if it still works.
Change passwords on the accounts where the card is stored (Takealot, Uber, Netflix, online subscriptions). If the same email and password combination was reused elsewhere, change those too.
Enable two-factor authentication on your banking and shopping accounts if you haven’t already.
Check your other cards in case the compromise affected more than one.

What Pay@ Gateway does to help #

Once your bank disputes a transaction with us, our fraud team works alongside them to investigate. We provide:

Logs of the transaction including IP address, device used, and 3D Secure authentication status
Details of the merchant who received the funds
Reversal of the funds from the merchant if the dispute is upheld

You don’t need to take any action with us directly — the dispute process between your bank and Pay@ Gateway happens behind the scenes. If we identify a pattern of fraud affecting multiple cardholders, we work with the affected merchant and the card networks to address it.

When it’s not fraud — but feels like it #

Sometimes a charge looks unfamiliar but isn’t fraudulent. Common cases:

A subscription you forgot about — gym, streaming service, software, magazine
A family member’s purchase — particularly children with shared cards
A different trading name — a business might trade under one name and bill under another
A delayed charge — some bookings (hotels, car rentals) authorise immediately but only charge weeks later

If you’re not sure whether a charge is fraudulent, before calling the bank: check your email and SMS for confirmations around the date, and ask anyone in your household if they recognise it.

Reporting fraud to Pay@ Gateway directly #

If you’ve already disputed the charge with your bank and want to alert us — for example, if you have additional information about the merchant or the fraud pattern — you can reach us through [PH-030]. We take every report seriously and use the information to identify compromised merchants or patterns we should investigate.