App-Store or One-Off Lookup Charges: Find and Cancel Repeat Debits

Short answer: Look at your bank, card or MoMo statement, find the merchant name, then cancel in the app store or with the company that charged you. If the charge keeps coming, tell your bank or MoMo provider in writing and keep a copy of everything. Nobody can promise your money back, but acting fast gives you the best chance.

Why these charges are hard to spot

A one-off lookup costs a small amount, so it is easy to forget. An app-store subscription can start after a free trial and then renew every month without a reminder you notice. The name on your statement may not be the name you remember. It may show a payment processor or a long code instead of the company.

Step 1: Find every charge

1. Open your bank app, card statement or MoMo history for the last three months. Look for repeated amounts on about the same day each month.
2. Write down the merchant name, date, amount and currency. If a charge is in dollars or pounds on a cedi card, note that too.
3. Search the merchant name on Google with the word charge or subscription. Official help pages often explain what a statement name means.
4. If you still cannot identify it, check the number or website on Check a number, handle or website to see what other people have reported.
5. For a payment SMS that looks odd, paste it into Is this MoMo message real?

Step 2: Check the app store

Many subscriptions are billed through Apple or Google, so the charge may not show the company's name at all. The menus can change, so follow the labels you see.

• iPhone: open Settings, tap your name, then tap Subscriptions.
• Android (Google Play): open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions.

Cancel anything you do not want. Cancelling stops the next charge, but it does not automatically undo a charge already taken. Take a screenshot of the cancellation screen and keep it.

Step 3: Cancel with the company itself

If you bought the lookup or subscription on a website, look for account or billing settings, or a cancel link in the confirmation email. Email the company and say clearly which charge you want stopped, with the date and amount. Keep their reply. If you get no answer, move on to the next step rather than waiting.

Step 4: Ask your bank or MoMo provider

Call or message your bank or MoMo provider with the merchant name, the dates and the amounts. Ask them to block future debits from that merchant if they can, and ask how to dispute the charge. Get a reference number for every call and write down the name of the person you spoke to.

Only your provider can decide what happens to a payment. TrustCheck cannot promise a refund, and a person at your bank will review what you send them.

Step 5: Stop repeat debits

• Remove saved card details from sites you no longer use.
• Ask your bank whether you can block card payments to a merchant or switch off online payments on your card.
• Check your statement again next month. A charge that comes back after you cancelled is a warning sign, so repeat Step 3 and Step 4.

When it looks like fraud

If you did not sign up for anything and the charges keep coming, or someone asked for your PIN or OTP to cancel them, treat it as fraud. Never share your PIN, OTP or password with anyone who calls or messages you, even if they say they are from your bank, MoMo provider or the app store.

Contact your bank or MoMo provider straight away. If money has been lost, report it to the Ghana Police Cybercrime Unit. You can also get advice from the Cyber Security Authority on 292. Check Scam Watch for official warnings about fake billing and subscription messages.

How TrustCheck can help

Use Check a number, handle or website before you pay a new lookup or subscription site. If a payment SMS looks wrong, use Is this MoMo message real? If you are in Ghana and want to warn others about a number or business, you can send a report at /check/report. Every report is checked by a person before it is published.

Keep a simple record

Save screenshots, emails and reference numbers in one folder. Write down the date you cancelled. A clear record makes it easier for your bank or the company to check what happened, and it protects you if the charge comes back.