What Should I Do If My Credit Card Gets Stolen in Singapore?

Step 1: Freeze or block your card immediately

Your first move should be to freeze your card — and today, this usually doesn't require a phone call at all. Most major Singapore banks let you instantly block a card through their mobile app:

• DBS/POSB: Open digibank mobile → More → Manage Cards & Loans → Replace/Block Card → select "My Card is Lost."
• OCBC: Use the OCBC Digital app's "kill switch" feature, available under Safety and Security settings, or call 6363 3333 and press 8.
• UOB, Citibank, Standard Chartered, HSBC: Each offers similar in-app card-freezing via UOB TMRW, Citi Mobile, SC Mobile, and the HSBC Singapore app respectively.

If you can't access the app, call your bank's 24-hour hotline right away:

This step matters even if you've simply misplaced the card rather than had it stolen — reactivating a card later is straightforward, and leaving a "lost" card active gives anyone who finds it a window to use it. Banks generally require you to report a loss within a reasonable time, or you risk being held liable for unauthorised charges made before the report.

How to find a lost credit card before you cancel it

If you're not yet sure whether your card is lost or stolen, a quick systematic check can save you the hassle of a cancellation and replacement:

1. Retrace your last few transactions — check where you last used the card (retail counter, ATM, restaurant) and call that location if it's recent.
2. Check your wallet, bags, and pockets thoroughly — cards often slip into linings or between other cards.
3. Look at your banking app for the most recent transaction location and time — this narrows down where you likely last had it.
4. Check with venues you visited that day — many retailers and F&B outlets hold onto found cards for a short period before handing them to lost-and-found or the police.
5. If you still can't locate it within a short window, freeze it — the small inconvenience of unfreezing a found card is far lower than the risk of leaving a lost one active.

Step 2: Make a police report and get a copy

This step is crucial — your bank will need proof that a crime occurred and that you're not attempting to avoid legitimate charges.

When filing your police report, be sure to obtain:

• The name of the investigating officer(s)
• A copy of the written police report
• A direct line to the investigating officer(s) if possible — especially useful if the card was stolen overseas, where police administration processes can be slower or less centralised.

Note that simply calling the police to inform them isn't sufficient — you need the written report itself as documentation for your bank.

Step 3: Inform your insurance provider, if relevant

If you hold travel insurance and the card was lost or stolen overseas, contact your insurer promptly — most policies covering personal belongings or card fraud will require specific documentation to process a claim.

If no unauthorised charges have been made against your card, you can typically wait about a week before requesting a replacement card. If unauthorised charges have occurred, proceed to the following steps.

Step 4: Call the bank again to raise a formal dispute

If there are unauthorised charges, call your bank and explicitly state that you're raising a dispute. Note down the name of the representative you speak with and the date of the call.

Your bank will typically mail you a dispute form to complete, or ask you to visit a branch — visiting in person is often the better option, since a branch staff member can walk you through the form and flag anything you might miss.

Be sure to reference your police report and attach a copy to your dispute claim, along with any documentation from your insurer if applicable. Keep a copy of the completed dispute form for your own records before submitting it.

Step 5: Review your transaction history for unauthorised charges

Go through your transaction history and note where the unauthorised charges occurred — this can help investigators and may also reveal patterns, such as recurring subscriptions to services you never signed up for. Some fraudulent transactions are disguised as legitimate-looking subscriptions (streaming services, dating platforms, etc.), so look closely at unfamiliar merchant names.

If any of these resemble services you did sign up for unknowingly (e.g. after a phishing link), you may be considered liable for those specific charges — but identifying them at least lets you clean up any compromised accounts or malware causing a repeat incident.

Step 6: Understand your liability

Under the ABS Code of Practice for Banks – Credit Cards, your maximum liability for unauthorised transactions made with a lost or stolen card is capped at $100 — provided you:

• Did not act fraudulently or with gross negligence, and
• Reported the loss to your bank as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of it.

One important exception: this $100 cap does not apply if you unwittingly approved a fraudulent transaction through 3D Secure (3DS) authentication — for instance, if you received an OTP or approval prompt and confirmed it without realising it was fraudulent. MAS has clarified that this is treated as negligence, since 3DS requires your active authentication rather than just static card details.

If your bank disputes your $100 cap eligibility — for example, by arguing the incident should be classified differently, or that you were negligent — you can seek independent advice from consumer bodies like CASE or a law firm to understand your position. In practice, most banks prefer to honour the $100 cap and resolve the matter quickly rather than risk reputational fallout from a drawn-out dispute.