Privacy and fraud are of utmost concern in today’s world. So, you might be alarmed to find a transaction on your credit card statement that you do not recognize. Today, we’ll discuss what it means if you see the number “402-935-7733” or “4029357733” on your credit card or bank statement, and help you determine whether this is a legitimate or suspicious charge, and the appropriate next steps.
What is 402-935-7733 or 4029357733?
402-935-7733 is the customer support phone number for PayPal, and is shown on your credit card or bank statement whenever there is a new charge for a purchase that is processed through PayPal. The phone number may be shown with (402-935-7733) or without (4029357733) the hyphens, depending on your credit card company.
For example, below is a screenshot from an American Express credit card statement showing PAYPAL * XXXX and the phone number 4029357733. XXXX is typically the name of the merchant who used PayPal to bill your credit card account.
What is 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131 US?
You may also see an address listed as 2211 North First Street San Jose CAUS, along with the charge. Sometimes, the ZIP code 95131 is also included. This address is the headquarters of PayPal and is shown on your credit card or bank statement because the transaction was issued by PayPal. This address alone does not provide any additional information on the merchant that actually received your funds.
Is 402-935-7733 or 4029357733 a legitimate or fraudulent charge?
In the majority of cases, 402-935-7733 or 4029357733 on your credit card statement is a legitimate charge, and there is no need to be alarmed. It is typically an online purchase you made through a website that uses PayPal (eBay, for example), but because the merchant name is not listed with the charge, you may not immediately recognize the charge as something you authorized.
Many merchants, especially those that do business online, will use PayPal as a payment processor. What this means is that when they collect money from their customers, PayPal acts as a “middleman” to transfer the money from the customer to the merchant. As a result, customers see the name and contact information from PayPal on their credit card or bank statement and not the actual merchant’s name.
Oftentimes, PayPal will also indicate the name of the merchant when they charge your credit card. In the example screenshot above, the merchant name is shown in the area shown as “XXXX.” However, this information can be difficult to decipher, because the merchant name is oftentimes shortened, abbreviated, or completely different. In many cases, the name of a website or online store can be completely different from what is shown on the statement, especially if you purchase products from small vendors or from overseas, where the name shown can oftentimes be an individual’s name.
In other cases, you may have intentionally used PayPal to pay a business or an individual, thinking whatever PayPal balance you had in your account would cover the payment. If you store your credit card or bank account information in your PayPal account, however, PayPal may automatically charge your credit card account to cover the shortage.
Of course, there is always the possibility that someone used your credit or debit card number to make a fraudulent purchase through PayPal, in which case the charge is not legitimate and should be disputed with your credit card company or bank (see bottom of the article on instructions for how to dispute).
How to determine if 402-935-7733 or 4029357733 is legit or a scam
Especially if it has been awhile since the charge hit your credit card or bank statement, it can take a bit of detective work to determine if the charge is legitimate or fraudulent. The first step is to see if you may have overlooked a purchase you legitimately authorized, but have forgotten about.
Remember, the charge is shown as coming from PayPal, but it very likely to actually be originating from an online seller that you purchased something from. Here are some steps you can take to see if you might recognize the charge:
- Think back on the timeframe when the charge hit. Were there any big events (e.g. weddings, travel) that may have required a particular kind of purchase?
- Search your email for any purchase receipts on or before the charge date. In many cases, a merchant will charge your account on the ship date and not the purchase date, so be sure to search several days prior to the charge date. If your email inbox has a search function, search for keywords such as purchase receipt, purchase confirmation, order receipt, order confirmation and PayPal.
- Have you made any donations to anyone lately? Many nonprofits and individuals will use PayPal to receive donated funds. This can be especially likely if the charge amount in question is a round number like $25.00 or $50.00. Merchants, on the other hand, will typically charge sales tax and other fees to make the amount seemingly “random.”
- Log into your PayPal account to see if there is a corresponding charge with the same date and amount. Usually, a more detailed description of the purchase, including the merchant name and contact information is listed and will provide more information.
- If you use eBay, log into your eBay account to check for any purchases you made with the same date and amount.
- Look at the total amount charged. Is it a large amount or a small amount? Small amounts are less commonly fraudulent (criminals are looking for a bigger payout) and can be easy to forget about. A large amount that you still don’t recognize could be a red flag.
What to do if you still don’t recognize the 402-935-7733 or 4029357733 charge
If, after going through the steps above, you still don’t recognize the charge amount and date, you may have been subject to a fraudulent or scam charge. In this case, your next steps would be to contact either your credit card company or bank to file a dispute. If you have a PayPal account, you can also submit a dispute directly through your PayPal account. Click here to learn more about how to dispute a transaction through PayPal.
