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Bloomberg calls chargebacks “friendly fraud” — but it’s often the only option

Ellsworth Toohey
Jul 16, 2026
∙ Paid

friendly fraud — Hloom Templates / CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Americans filed 158 million card-transaction disputes in 2025 — up 29% since 2021, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek piece by Amanda Mull. Worldwide, the jump was even steeper, 46%. Bloomberg describes it as “friendly fraud” — shoppers disputing charges they know are legitimate, a h…

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