Credit card scams are on the rise, and according to research, the US and Canadian citizens are more likely to be a victim of this crime than those of any other country in the world, with billions lost annually to crooks and fraudsters.
Both individuals and businesses can be at risk of credit card scams, which are now recognized as the most common form of identity fraud – there were half a million cases in the US last year alone. Fortunately, you can take several simple steps to avoid getting caught up in a con – here’s what you need to know.
Only Buy From Trusted Websites
One of the most common ways that scammers get hold of victims’ credit card details is via cloned or fake websites. These sites may appear totally legit and could even masquerade as a well-known brand’s website but have, in fact, been set up by crooks purely to harvest unsuspecting visitors’ card details.
Avoid this by only buying from trusted sites. To do this, start by looking at the website’s address bar to ensure it’s that of the business you think it is. Scammers deploy tricks such as replacing the odd letter with a special character (such as a $ for an S) so that, at first glance, the website address seems legit.
Also, ensure that the address starts with ‘HTTPS’ rather than just ‘HTTP’ – this indicates that it’s secure and mechanisms are in place to protect your payment and personal details.
Use Secure Payment Processing Systems
How you process…
