Credit Card Rip-offs

No matter how it’s done, credit card scams are made possible by stealing information from the credit card holder. In today’s cashless society, it is sad to say that many credit card users leave traces that can easily lead to credit card scams. These traces may be written all over receipts or proofs of credit card transactions. If you’re fond of shopping or paying your bills online, then there’s good reason for you to worry about your safety. Without shredding your credit card receipts, it’s possible that one day, you might be surprised to get charged for transactions you didn’t even make.

For your safety, here are things you should know about credit card scams.

Phishing – Phishing is as simple as receiving emails that dupe you into revealing account passwords and other banking information. This credit card scam is quite hard to detect, since many emails almost seem legitimate at first glance.

Skimming – Skimming could be as simple as getting credit card information by getting photocopies of receipts or as sly as using an electronic device, otherwise known as “skimmer,” to copy information through the card’s magnetic strip.

Dumpster diving – Apparently, even scavengers can make transactions under your name without you knowing it. All they have to do is go through the trash bins and get the names and addresses of their next victims. Out of these, they can get a credit card that has your name on it.

Pharming – This is done by tampering the DNS (domain name system), so the URL would appear like the website of a reputable finance institution. The user will then be tricked into revealing credit card details or personal information.