Affidavit of Forgery

An Affidavit of Forgery is the process by which a consumer can get money returned to their account that was fraudulently drafted.

The affidavit of forgery is NOT for clients that want the money back for their co-client’s case—even if it was intended to be used only for the initial TU pull.

The affidavit of forgery is NOT for anyone that knowingly provided the billing information for a case.

The affidavit of forgery is NOT for anyone that has already requested we remove billing information from the payment wallet and by failing to do so resulted in the wrong card being charged. These can be automatically refunded by your team lead.

Eligibility requirements

A person is eligible for an Affidavit of Forgery if they do not have a case and they are being billed for one, or they are being billed for two cases and the second case is not a co-client.

Always double check for co-clients. Remember co-clients may not always be linked together.

Advise the card/account holder that if it is found they were aware the card was being used for the case, they may not be eligible.

Affidavit of Forgery process

  1. Once the payment information has been verified, have the billing information removed from the case. This is done by notifying your Team Lead.
  2. For Debit/Credit cards, the first two and last four digits must be verified, as well as the expiration date.
  3. For checking accounts, the last four digits of the account number must be verified.
  4. Assure them that the billing information will be removed and no further drafts will occur. Please check to make sure a payment is not scheduled in the next 3 business days. If a payment is scheduled within the next 3 business days, it may still go through. If this is the situation, let them know we will do our best to stop it, but there is a possibility of being charged. If charged, we will most likely include that payment if a refund is issued.
  5. If they mention overdraft fees, you can let them know this will be addressed as part of the investigation.
  6. Collect the necessary information, (listed below), and inform them they will receive an E-mail within 24 hours on weekdays, and 24-48 hours for weekend requests.
  7. Investigations can range anywhere from about 24-48 hours. Part of the investigation is contacting the client to inquire why they believe it was authorized. This can impact the time frame if it is difficult to reach them.
  8. If a refund is issued the card/account holder will receive notification.
  9. Refund requests usually take three to five business days when processing a Debit/Credit card. ACH refunds can take seven to ten business days.
  10. If callers are claiming they have already completed this process and are calling for an update, please E-mail Teri Durfee with the person’s contact information. (teri@johnheathlaw.com)

Steps of an Affidavit of Forgery

  1. Collect the following information from the account holder
    1. The first and last name of the person being charged/the name on the card or account
    2. The billing information that is being charged. For a Debit/Credit card, get the first two and last four digits of the card number, plus the expiration date. For ACH accounts, the first two and last four digits of the checking account number and full routing number is needed.
    3. The dates and amounts for any and all payments that were drafted
    4. A mailing or E-mail address to send the Affidavit of Forgery form to
    5. A contact number for the card/account holder so that we can follow up with them