By Credit card fraud refers to fraudulent activity that is done with a credit or plastic card. The primary purpose can often be to gain illicit goods or services, either for personal gain or to simply make payment for goods or services offered by another party that is fraudulent. There are many types of this type of fraud. Each type of fraud can cause financial damage and fraud at different levels.
The most common type of fraudulent credit card fraud happens when the wrong recipient gets a credit card wallet stolen and when the owner gives the information for a fake transaction. This kind of transaction may occur at any point of time. It could start with a sales pitch where the seller tells potential victims that the price of his product will be X because of “extra” services the victim will receive. If the victim confirms the sale, the seller then begins to charge the potential victim’s credit card. Once the seller has charged the card fully, the transaction is complete and the money is wired elsewhere.
A more serious form of credit card fraud occurs when unauthorized charges are made against the victim’s account. This fraud is often committed when identity theft occurs. Identity theft involves someone opening multiple accounts under the victim’s name and using their social security number. Credit card companies will report any unauthorized charges made to one of these accounts. In order to pay the charges, high credit card fees are often taken from the victim’s account.
Unauthorized charges made with victim’s credit cards information are a serious form of credit card fraud. This can happen when the intended victim places an online order and does not authorize the charges to be made.
Stealing cell phone numbers is a common type of unauthorized charge. Cell phone numbers can be easily stolen from the owner’s mobile phone or by looking through another person’s cell phone. The charges may then appear on the credit card statements of the people who have accessed the stolen phone numbers. This type of unauthorized charge is often referred to as “doxing.”
One way to avoid being a victim of this particular type of credit card fraud is to never respond to an online solicitation for a product or service. It is best to tell the person you are not interested in responding to an online solicitation. After the customer provides valid information, many online solicitations can be canceled. If the customer fails to provide the name and address of the person to whom the goods or services will be purchased, the response should also include a request for information regarding the company that sent the email. The person should also advise the website that they will try to contact them later. By doing so, the chances of becoming a victim of this type of identity theft are greatly reduced.
