Here's how your credit card information gets stolen
Highh-tech hackers and small-time thieves are targeting your credit cards. Credit: Bloomberg / Daniel Acker
High-tech hackers and small-time thieves are targeting your credit cards. Here are typical ways your information is stolen, according to credit card comparison site lowcards.com.
DATA BREACHES These computer crimes continue to grow and include large retailers and banks — from last year's Target breach to recent electronic break-ins at Home Depot, Kmart, Dairy Queen and JPMorgan Chase. You often won't know if your account has been compromised, so check your printed and online statements often.
PHONE CALLS AND MAIL These are still the fraud of choice for criminals targeting older adults. Beware of phony sweepstakes that come in the mail or unsolicited phone calls where the caller asks for credit card or bank account information or personal identification numbers.
EMAILS The number of fraudulent emails pretending to be from real companies has become rampant. The goal is to get you to send your credit card information to the fraudsters or to click a link that gives them control of your computer so they can silently search for your financial data.
