What is Phishing?
Phishing is a term used to refer to a variety of different types of online scams and cyber
attacks in which the fraudsters pose as individuals or organizations in an attempt to lure
their victims into divulging sensitive personal information. Cybercriminals have
traditionally carried out phishing attacks primarily via email, but they can also use
malicious websites, texts, and phone calls to phish for sensitive data.
There are many different types of phishing attacks designed to trick you into giving up a
variety of information, most commonly account login credentials, bank account numbers, and
credit card details. Scammers particularly target older individuals, who may not be as
tech-savvy and aware of online scams, for phishing attacks. Once the scammers get their
hands on your sensitive information via a phishing attack, they can use it to make purchases
with your payment cards, transfer money from your bank accounts, steal your identity, or
sell it to others who will use it to do some or all of the above.
`
How do Credit Card Phishing Scams Work?
Credit card phishing scams often involve scammers posing as your bank or credit card company
and contacting you by email, phishing for credit card information. The fraudsters usually
try to create a sense of urgency by saying there is some type of problem with your credit
card, such as a security issue, and ask you for your card details and personal details in
order to fix the problem and secure your funds.
Scammers have gotten very good at making emails look like they are from a legitimate
financial institution, and they often try to get you to click on a link that takes you to a
fake website where you enter your sensitive financial and personal information. Credit card
phishing attacks may also target you via fraudulent phone calls and texts claiming to be
from your card issuer.
Key points
• Banks and other financial institutions will never ask for your credit card information
unsolicited via email, by text, or over the phone.
• Always be wary of emails and other communications claiming to be from your credit card
provider and double-check URLs, email addresses, and text for mistakes and inconsistencies.
• Contact your credit card issuer directly if you have any doubts about an
email or other notification you received that appears to be from them.
• Don’t click on unknown links or attachments in emails and don’t enter sensitive
information into unfamiliar websites or landing pages.
• Check your credit card account regularly so you know what the latest charges are and see
if there are any issues or notifications – you’re less likely to fall for scammers’ lies
this way!
The Most Common Credit Card Phishing Scams methods
Credit Card Phishing Websites
Cybercriminals often create landing pages that look like they are from your credit card
provider and try to get you to click on a link to visit them in order to fix an issue with
your card. Once you go to the malicious credit card phishing website, it typically asks you
to enter your online banking login credentials, your credit card number, your full name, and
other personal information that the scammers can use to steal money from your credit card or
even steal your identity.
Though some credit card phishing sites are easy to spot because they are full of errors and
look nothing like your card provider’s real website, others are very convincing. Scammers
can even clone pages or entire sites, so they are very hard to distinguish from the actual
sites, other than by looking closely at details such as the URLs.
Credit card Phishing Email
Credit care phishing emails are one of the most common ways scammers initiate contact with
their victims. They craft emails to resemble official emails from banks, credit card
issuers, and other financial institutions to create a false sense of trust. The emails
usually masquerade as notifications about your credit card account that require some type of
action on your part and ask you to visit a link to provide sensitive personal financial
information. Links or attachments in these types of phishing emails may also install malware
on your device to steal data from you without you even knowing about it.
As with credit card phishing websites, credit card phishing emails vary in how realistic
they are. Some are full of errors and weird wording that make it easy to tell that they are
not really from who they say they are, while others are more polished and harder to
determine the authenticity of.
Credit Card Phishing Texts
Scammers may also communicate with their victims by sending out fake credit card
notifications via SMS text messages. These notifications may claim that your card is locked
or that there is some other issue with your credit card, and ask you to reply with your
account information or try to get you to click on a link that takes you to a malicious
landing page impersonating your credit card issuer’s website.
It can be hard to recognize the difference between credit card phishing texts and real text
notifications from your bank because you are unlikely to recognize the numbers they come
from. However, banks and other financial institutions will never ask you for sensitive
information by texting you.
Credit Card Phishing Phone calls
Credit card phishing phone calls start with either a person or an automated bot calling you
and claiming to be calling from your credit card company, often from the fraud and loss
prevention department or another type of credit card security department. They will tell you
that there is some kind of security risk with your card, such suspicious charge activity,
and ask you to provide them with details like your card number and expiration date to verify
the information and charges.
Automated phone calls notifying you about supposed issues with your credit card are a big
red flag because you have no way of verifying their authenticity. If a real person calls you
and claims to be from your credit card company, it’s best to hang up and call the customer
service number on the back of your card yourself.
How to spot a Credit Card Phishing Scam
Look at the URLs of any website claiming to be a landing page
for your credit card provider’s website. If the URL does not exactly match your card
issuer’s URL, it is probably a fake site. Scammers often change a single letter or add a
number to create very similar URLs to the real ones.
Check the sender’s email address for any emails that appear to
be notifications or official communications from your financial institution. Scammers
often use fake addresses that are similar to the real ones or totally random email
addresses, such as ones that are just a string of letters and numbers.
Know that your credit provider will never ask you for
sensitive information via text, call, email, or a website, especially if you’re not the
one contacting them first about an issue or concern.
Look for spelling and grammar mistakes in communications
claiming to be from your card company. Scammers are often based in countries where
English is not the first language, and thus their messages are usually full of things
like spelling errors and strange word choices.
Watch out for anyone trying to urgently get you to take action
on your credit card account to fix some kind of issue. In most cases, you won’t know
there’s a lock on your card or another problem until you try to use it and it doesn’t
work.
Victim of a Credit Card Phishing Scam? Want to know what you can do
next?
If you’ve fallen victim to a credit card phishing scam, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and
unsure of what to do next. But don’t lose hope. An investigation can be the key to
uncovering the truth, holding the scammers accountable, and potentially helping you reclaim
your losses.
We’ll thoroughly investigate your case and our team of experts will work tirelessly to
gather all the information and evidence you need to build a strong case. And at the end of
the investigation, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive investigation report outlining our
findings and giving you the insights you need to take the next steps toward retrieving your
losses.
How to avoid a Credit Card Phishing Scam
Never give out your credit card details or other sensitive
information via email, text, phone, or websites, especially if someone reached out to
you saying they are from your bank or credit card provider.
Don’t click on links or attachments in emails or texts from
unknown senders.
Always verify the URLs and email addresses of any websites or
email senders claiming to represent your bank.
If you ever have any doubts about whether or not a
notification about your credit card is real, contact your card issuer directly and ask
them if they sent you the notification.
Mark fake emails as junk and block the senders to avoid future
emails from them.
Block fake numbers to prevent them from sending you SMS text
messages or calling you in the future.
Install ad blocking software and antivirus software on your
computers to avoid malware attacks that can steal your credit card info and other data.
Keep an eye on your credit card activity to make sure you know
what your most recent charges are and make sure you’re not already being stolen from.
Don’t believe anyone about suspicious activity or locks on
your credit card account until you check it yourself and see it with your own eyes.
