Card lost or stolen — Pulizija ta' Malta · Malta

Direct answer

Block it now: through the app, or by calling Your bank — card and payment line — the number is also on your bank's site and works 24/7. Until you block it you can be liable for a small excess; after the block you are liable for nothing. Then file a report with Pulizija ta' Malta — għassa tal-pulizija / 112 (112) if it was stolen — the bank and any insurer will ask for the report number to refund fraudulent payments. If the bank refuses to refund payments made after you reported the loss, Arbitru għas-Servizzi Finanzjarji (8007 2366) decides.

Call firstYour bank — card and payment line

Report toPulizija ta' Malta — għassa tal-pulizija / 112

If that failsArbitru għas-Servizzi Finanzjarji

🗣️ What to say

"My [debit/credit] card ending [digits] was [lost/stolen] on [date] at about [time]. Please block it immediately, list any payments since then, and tell me how to dispute the ones I did not make."

🪜 Step by step

Block first, search laterApp, phone banking or the emergency line. A card found later can be unblocked; money spent cannot be un-spent.
Check recent paymentsIn the app: anything after the loss is disputable. Note the time you noticed and the time you blocked.
Police report for theftOnline where possible; it takes ten minutes and the bank needs the number.
Dispute the fraudulent paymentsIn writing to the bank: date, amount, merchant, "not authorised". Refund is due promptly, minus at most the legal excess for payments before you reported.
Contactless and walletRemove the card from phone wallets and update any subscriptions that were charged to it, or they will fail next month.

📇 All contacts

Your bank — card and payment lineRecall a transfer, chargeback, block a card, freeze the accountImmediately, 24/7 — the number is on the back of your card

Pulizija ta' Malta — għassa tal-pulizija / 112Report at any police stationTheft, threats, stalking📞 112 🔗 pulizija.gov.mt

Arbitru għas-Servizzi FinanzjarjiComplaints against banks, lenders and insurers, bindingAfter a written complaint to the bank without a solution📞 8007 2366 🔗 www.financialarbiter.org.mt

❓ Frequently asked

How much can I lose?

At most the legal excess (typically up to €50) for unauthorised use before you reported the card, and nothing after — unless the bank proves fraud or gross negligence on your side, such as writing the PIN on the card.

The bank says I must have given the PIN

That is their claim to prove. Ask for it in writing, dispute it, and take it to Arbitru għas-Servizzi Finanzjarji if they insist.

I lost it abroad

Same steps; block through the app or the international number on your bank's site. A police report from the country you are in is fine for the bank.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

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💳 My bank card is lost or stolen — how do I block it and who do I tell?