Been scammed… what now?

For normal Visa credit card you get your money back easy with a chargeback. For debit card it can be more difficult. Don't know which of those categories your card would come under.

The reason that the credit card give you your money back so easily is that they just don't give it to the merchant so they don't suffer any loss. The merchant takes the hit if they've sent out the goods. They are technically supposed to check the card and signature before accepting it. Obviously they don't do that, especially for online transactions, which is why they lose. It also puts the responsibility on them to be vigilant. When they accept a credit card, they just accept a promise from the credit card company that the cc company will pay them at some point in the future. So they don't even have the money yet. You just have to tell the cc company it was fraudulent and then it is up to the merchant to appeal otherwise.

Debit card is a bit more difficult because the money is already "gone" so to speak so you have to get it "back". But they can do it if you prove it was fraudulent.

"But they can do it if YOU prove it was fraudulent" I had several thousand Euro taken from PTSB Visa Debit Card while in Orlando a few years ago, The card was blocked then replaced and I told them which transactions were not mine, They sent me a form with the Transactions listed that I had to get signed at a Garda Station. The Money was returned with no proof they were not mine, I simply signed a declaration that they had nothing to do with me.

They accepted your declaration signed by the Guard as sufficient evidence that they were not your transactions.

You wouldn't need anything signed from a Garda station for a credit card. Merely your own signature.

Visa Debit may be a little more protection too.

This is basically the status in the US. Perhaps there are different standards mandated by regulators in Ireland or else EU rules but I'm not aware of what those might be.

The reason for the timeline in Debit card is that the "merchant" already has your money fairly instantly. For credit card, the merchant gets "Visa's" money, not yours, but usually with a delay of a few weeks.

Charegebacks may be the same now. I don't know as I haven't been scammed on Visa debit and the two times on credit card was about 10 years ago.

I remember seeing an interesting documentary yearrs ago about these serial scammers who were skimming and scamming cards in the US. It is a crime that is actually very rarely punished.

All pointless and not comparable. You're comparing a US outmoded process. Not helpful to the topic on an Irish site in the slightest.