UnknownCharges

Libellé bancaire décodé

TARGET.COM *

Usually legit

By · Dernière mise à jour

07/21 TARGET.COM * $47.85

En résumé

This is an online Target order — the asterisk is how Target's payment processor signs in-store and online card payments. If the amount matches something you bought at target.com, you're done. If you didn't order anything, treat it as a card-holder red flag: your card may have been copied, because Target is one of the most-targeted merchants for card testing.

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Why your statement says TARGET.COM *

Target bills card payments through its own processing arm, and every transaction gets the same short descriptor: TARGET.COM * (the asterisk is a processor separator, not a typo or a fraud marker). In-store and online purchases are both signed with it, so a trip to a physical store can still show up as TARGET.COM *.

Pickup and drive-up orders show the same code, as do most purchases placed through the Target app. Only a few payment types differ: Target GiftCard redemptions bill as TARGET *GC or TARGET *GIFTCARD, and some same-day deliveries appear with a different prefix.

  1. Check the Target app Check your Target app under Purchases (or Orders) and match the amount to the transaction date.
  2. Check target.com/orders Sign in to your Target account at target.com/orders — all online orders are there, including pickup orders.
  3. Call Target card support Can't match it? Target's card support line is 1-800-440-0680 (24/7).
  4. Treat it as card testing If you didn't place any order, call your card issuer immediately — a $1 or $2 test charge before a larger one is a classic card-testing pattern.

Is the * in TARGET.COM * a sign of fraud?

No. The asterisk is just the separator Target's processor uses between the merchant name and additional data. A legit Target charge looks exactly like this.

I used my Target REDcard — why does it still say TARGET.COM *?

REDcard purchases bill through Target's own network but still carry the TARGET.COM * descriptor. Match the amount in the app and you'll see the same order.

The card-testing red flag

Target is one of the most popular merchants for card testing: someone with a batch of stolen card numbers tries small purchases to see which numbers still work. A TARGET.COM * charge you can't explain — especially a small test charge followed by a bigger one — is a strong sign your card number is in circulation.

This is the one case where an unrecognized Target charge is usually not an account problem: it's a card-number problem. Changing the password alone won't fix it.

  • Target is one of the most popular merchants for card testing — stolen numbers are tried with small purchases.
  • A $1–$2 test charge followed by a larger TARGET.COM * charge is the classic pattern.
  • An unrecognized Target charge is usually a card-number problem, not an account problem — a new password alone won't stop it.
  1. Call your issuer now Don't 'wait to see' — call the number on the back of your card as soon as you can't match a charge.
  2. Block and reissue Ask the issuer to block the number and reissue the card (most issuers will, free).
  3. Set up card alerts Set up card alerts so the next attempt pings your phone.
  4. Report to the FTC Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov so the pattern is counted.

Where to check Target orders

Every Target order you've placed lives under target.com/orders for online orders and in the Target app's Purchases history for in-store card payments — the app records in-store transactions when your REDcard or Circle barcode is scanned.

If you paid in-store with a plain credit card (no barcode scanned), Target can still look up the transaction by card number via card support.

How do I dispute a Target charge?

Start with Target card support (1-800-440-0680) if you have an account question; for a charge you don't recognize, your card issuer is the faster route — disputes there are covered by Reg E or FCBA protections.

Sources vérifiées

Descriptor variants and phone line verified against Target's official help pages, the Brex charge-finder database, and user-report compilations.

Répertoire indépendant non affilié à Target Corporation. Les libellés varient selon les banques.

Sources vérifiées