With so many purchases during the holiday season, it can be easy to miss a fraudulent credit card charge or two – especially if it appears to be from a charity. Keep a close eye on your credit card statement this time of year.
You review your credit card statement and notice charitable donations that you don’t remember making. No, it’s not a memory lapse; you were a victim of credit card fraud.
These unauthorized charity charges may be part of a bigger con, which started when scammers got your credit card information. Your card details may have been shared in a scam or as part of a data breach. After getting your credit card details, scammers now need to check whether they are still valid. To do this, scammers often use charity websites to test the stolen numbers. Scammers do this because they can test with very small donations that are less likely to be disputed. When the charges go through, the scammer knows that your card details are still valid. Then, they will use your card for bigger purchases or cash advances.