Unauthorized Charges from ChatGPT in My Bank Account

By luck, my wife discovered there has been an unauthorized charge of $20 USD from a "ChatGPT subscription" on her mostly dormant bank account. There was no SMS, or notification, and would have slipped through if we weren't actively checking.

My old understanding was that debit card transactions (unlike credit cards) are not protected from fraud or have chargeback so I was quite concerned.

The good news is we (and you) found out about the unauthorized charge and you should call your bank immediately. The bad news is there are probably people who didn't check and got cheated.

To my surprise, many does not know what to do and tried contacting OpenAI instead which would probably delay their recovery, if any.

What to Do When You Notice Unauthorized Charges in Your Bank Account? We managed to resolve the unauthorized charge quickly by contacted the bank fraud hotline (1800 339 6963 for DBS in our case). The bank will send a replacement card and investigate the issue, and provide a likely refund within 7 days. It is important to continue monitoring the account and taking necessary precautions to avoid similar situations in the future.

If you notice unauthorized charges from ChatGPT in your bank account, it can be concerning and frustrating. Just know that you are not alone. There are many in the OpenAI forum, HardwareZone forum (Singapore forum), and Reddit sharing about it.

• https://community.openai.com/t/i-never-subscribed-to-chat-gpt-but-they-charge-me-twice/176974
• https://community.openai.com/t/my-card-was-used-for-chatgpt-subscription-payment-fraud/172663
• https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/fraudulent-transaction-paid-to-chatgpt-subscription.6901043/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/12i9lwl/my_partner_was_supposedly_charged_120_when/

Given my wife doesn't even use ChatGPT and I happened to be next to her, it was easy to realize it was an unauthorized transaction and require immediate action. Unauthorized charges can happen to anyone. It is important to be aware of how to handle them to protect your finances. 

Unauthorized charges refer to any charges made to your account without your consent. ChatGPT is an AI language model and does not have the capability to charge or access bank accounts. 

Identifying Unauthorized Charges in Bank Accounts

To detect unauthorized charges in your bank account, it is important to regularly review your bank statements and transaction history. ChatGPT may appear on your bank statement in various ways such as "ChatGPT," "Chat GPT," or "ChatGTP." It is probably difficult to notice if you are a ChatGPT premium user and do not check your bank account in detail.

I do know people who track every expense and would probably find this easily when they reconcile their bank accounts. As I have a few cards and accounts, I only skimmed through each transaction (you cannot focus only on the top expenses as that method would miss out on these "small" transactions).

Reasons for Unauthorized Charges by ChatGPT

Unauthorized charges may occur due to third-party fraud or leaks.  

1. Third-party fraud - hackers or scammers can gain access to your bank account or credit card information and make unauthorized charges.

2. Skimming - Skimming is a type of fraud where criminals install devices on ATMs or gas pumps that steal your credit or debit card information. When you insert your card into the device, the criminals are able to capture your card number, expiration date, and CVV code.
3. Identity theft - criminals can steal your personal information and use it to let the bank release unintended information to make unauthorized purchases or access your bank account.
4. Data breaches - Data breaches are incidents where criminals gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as customer information from banks or credit card companies. Once criminals have this data, they can use it to commit fraud, such as making unauthorized charges to your bank account.

It is important to determine the root cause of the issue to prevent it from happening again. However, I couldn't find out why my wife's bank account was compromised and didn't pursue further not to let her worry. I would suspect there were some issues in the bank that compromise debit cards (maybe they have been trying all possible CVVs and the bank didn't notice somehow).

Conclusion

Unauthorized charges can be stressful, but taking action immediately can help protect your finances. Regularly monitor your bank account and take necessary precautions to avoid fraudulent activities. Remember, prevention is better than cure.