American consumers disputed nearly 30% more credit card transactions in 2025 than they did just four years earlier. Some of those “chargebacks” are legitimate issues or outright scams. But increasingly, many are what Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Amanda Mull says is friendly fraud — transaction disputes that aren’t completely honest or the retailer’s fault.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Mull joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the sharp rise in chargebacks, and the consequences of this trend for retailers, banks and consumers.
Read more: Credit Card Holders Are Using ‘Friendly Fraud’ to Get Back at Retailers
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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Amanda Mull; Edited by Naomi Shavin.
Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Sean Carter.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
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