Erik_KZ wrote:
I understand that you may advise me to contact my bank, which I certainly did.
In turn, they told me to contact Apple Support.
As I understand it, someone found out my credit card number and made a subscription (in this case, the bank cannot do anything, because if it were a regular payment, I have two-factor authentication enabled).
I thought that if the Apple Support investigates this issue, there might be a possibility to cancel the subscription, and then the money would be returned to my account.
The bank advised you to contact Apple Support to verify that it actually is a fraudulent charge, and you can do that. The reason is that after they dispute the charge, you will no longer be able to use that card at Apple, and if you have any other subscriptions or purchases tied to that card, you would need to get those resolved. It may be possible to request a refund for a legitimate purchase, but your case is clearly fraudulent without any ties to Apple and the refund process requires your Apple Account that you would not even have.
Contact Apple Support - Apple Support
Since you said you do not use Apple services or products, then that means your credit card has been compromised. That is commonly done through phishing messages or using the physical card on a retail terminal that has a skimmer/shimmer installed, and even like you said simply found after being lost. You need to get your account cancelled immediately and the bank needs to issue you a new card, and will also refund the money after an investigation shows they were not made by you.
In all cases it is the bank that is responsible for disputing the transaction because they are the ones that approved it. They do this on a daily basis and as a consumer in the US you have specific protections that they must follow and can also file a complaint with the Government if they refuse to act. That can also be done here.
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-dispute-a-charge-on-my-credit-card-bill-en-61/
Apple may be able to block your card from any further charge, even if you wanted to make a legitimate purchase with it to Apple later, but there will not be a refund for a fraudulent purchase. That also would not stop the person that has your card number from using it at any other location. That is why the bank is the central contact point for resolution and it is their responsibility to prove you made the purchase.
A retailer has no way to prove you made the purchase, like anytime the card is used at a retail terminal or online payment where the card number is entered. There is no positive ID required in either case to prove it was you. The credit card companies want retailers to accept their payment methods, so there is no ID requirement, and they take on the responsibility of any fraud in exchange for the ease of use.
In summary, continue with the dispute resolution process through your bank and review your consumer rights with credit card purchases. The bank has very little leeway here as the transactions are regulated by Government protections, and if they do not act accordingly you can file a complaint against them to ensure that they are following the law.
