Top Credit Card Scams You Need To Know About

Introduction

When you have a credit card, you’re unfortunately attractive to thieves, fraudsters and other scammers. New schemes are surfacing all the time, and the ones that work best (meaning, the ones that bilk the most victims out of their hard-earned money) are the ones that keep making the rounds.

Luckily, you can keep yourself and your finances safe if you know what to look for. Here’s how to spot, avoid, and report the most common scams in 2025.

What Are Credit Card Scams and Why Are They on the Rise?

Credit card scams are any type of fraud or scam that targets your credit card as a funding source. They often take the form of imposter scams where the criminal pretends to be someone they’re not. And these days, artificial intelligence (AI) and other evolving technology are unfortunately making it easier than ever for criminals to pull that off.

62 million Americans were victims of credit card fraud in 2024, which is a staggering 63% of credit card holders in the country. And only 8% of the resulting fraudulent charges were on lost or stolen cards, proving that thieves don’t need your plastic in hand to take advantage of you.

Most scams leverage two things: emotion and urgency. The emotion can be negative, like fear or greed. Or it can be positive, like from winning something or falling in love. And the fabricated situation is almost always time-limited, forcing you to act now or lose out. These crucial elements are designed to make you panic and forget to think logically.

Credit Card Scams To Watch Out For

Scams come in all flavors, but credit card scams tend towards variations on a theme.

The Phishing Scams

You might call phishing scams the OG (original grift) — at least for the 21^st century. And a lot of the scams on this list are specialized phishing schemes that have evolved over time.

The classic phishing scam is executed online through a website or email. It involves the illusion of a legitimate request in order to steal your personal information, like login details or private data. This includes your account number, password, social security number, date of birth, and other info that can be used to access your account or steal your identity.

How to spot it

Unlike basic snake-oil spam, a phishing email doesn’t just target your money. It’s going for your data. The message might say that your account has been compromised and needs to be reset, or that fraudulent charges were made to your card. It provides a link for you to take the next step — then sends you to a fake website designed to poach your login info.

The phishing attempt will often claim that the company has been unable to reach you, and it’s the last time they’ll try contacting you. This is where they try to elicit emotion and create a sense of urgency so you’ll get scared and drop your defenses.

How to avoid it

The easiest way to avoid being phished is to never (like ever) give your personal details to anyone if you didn’t initiate the discussion or transaction. And never click on unsolicited links or reply to a suspicious email.

Check if the sender’s email address is actually from the spoofed company. Hover over links without clicking them so you can see what the true destination site is. If it doesn’t look right, don’t click the link. Instead, open another tab — preferably in incognito mode — and go to the real website where you can safely log in and review your account activity.

A legitimate financial institution will never ask for important personal details through email. If you’re doing online shopping, look for clues that tell you the site is secure, like an https:// in the URL.

The Vishing Scams (Voice Phishing)

When phishing is done by phone or voicemail, it’s called vishing (voice + phishing = vishing). The caller usually poses as someone from a real company, like your bank or creditor, trying to fool you into thinking it’s safe to share your personal details. And they often use caller ID spoofing so you think the call is coming from a legitimate phone number.

How to spot it

A typical vishing call will say there’s a fraudulent credit card charge or a problem with an order you allegedly placed. The scammer will ask for your personal details under the guise of verifying you’re you, ironically presented as being for your own safety.

How to avoid it

Never give your personal details in a phone call that you didn’t initiate. If someone calls and claims to be from your bank or credit card, asking for personal details like your credit card number, password or full social, tell them you’ll call back. And then only dial the official number on the back of your card. Chances are they’ll say it wasn’t them.

Your bank or credit card company may ask for some of your personal information over the phone, but it typically won’t be your full account number, PIN, passwords or SSN — and especially not if they initiate the call. Either way, they won’t mind if you want to call them back directly.

The Smishing Scams (Text Message Phishing)

SMS + phishing = smishing. In other words, when phishing happens through text messaging, a.k.a. short message services (SMS), it’s referred to as smishing. The text message will often masquerade as an alert from your bank or credit card account, and most people accept these as legit because they expect fraud alert notifications.

Smishing messages might include a malicious link infected with spyware, or lead you to a fake site asking you to log in. It may look real, but it’s not … it’s another device to steal your credentials or private details.

How to spot it

A financial smishing message might have similar verbiage to the real notifications you would expect from your bank or creditor, or even a retail customer service department. Look for messages that say things like “We’ve detected an issue with your account” or “Credit Card Fraud Alert,” followed by instructions to click a link so you can verify a purchase or contact information.

Other smishing scams congratulate you for winning a prize in a fake contest. Still others appear to come from a government entity or healthcare service and tell you that new information is available for you to review.

How to avoid it

If you receive a text message that doesn’t come from the same number you normally get notifications from, don’t click anything. Even if you see that it’s in a thread with other legit messages you’ve received before, it’s safer to go straight to your mobile app instead of clicking the text message link.

Again, a trusted financial institution will not ask for your personal information through text messages. And while you might get a link to their website at the bottom of a message, most notifications from banks don’t include any links at all.

The Catphishing Scams (Romance + Financial Fraud)

Romance scams are sometimes called catfishing, after the 2010 documentary Catfish. But since in this case the catfish is also phishing, it’s specifically known as catphishing. The name might be cute, but the scheme definitely isn’t.

Romance scams cost the average victim $2,000 in 2023, according to the FTC. That’s more than any other type of imposter scam, proving that love can override logic.

Typical romance scams are bad enough without the financial aspect, because they involve playing with your heart. A catfish will pretend to be someone they’re not to lure in the victim over time. They use fake social media profiles with stolen photos and will message you to try establishing a relationship. Or they will go straight to the dating sites, knowing that people they interact with there are actively looking for love.

After building rapport, and even making you think you’re in a committed relationship with the fake person, the catfish will often pretend to need money. It could be for a personal reason, a health issue, to pay their rent, or because they want to travel to see you.

They might even offer to send you money first — often stolen from another victim — so you trust that it’s a two-way street. But then they’ll ask you to send back some money, provide your credit card details, or purchase gift cards for them, which they can spend quickly and without a trace.

How to spot it

Catfish social accounts are often brand new, with very few friends or posting history. Their photos sometimes look fake, AI-generated, or too good to be true. You can search Google Images for similar photos, either by uploading the picture or by pasting the URL. You’ll know almost immediately whether this person’s profile image has been used before, and if it was by someone with the same name.

Also check what the person posts on their timeline. Are there videos that match the photos? Is there real interaction between people who look like they’re actually friends, with accounts that look legit? Catfish often won’t have photos or videos of them with friends, and if they do, the friends won’t be commenting on how much fun they had.

How to avoid it

This type of phishing is a long con that can last for years. If you think you’re in a long-distance relationship with someone you met online, don’t rely on social media messages, text messages, or even phone calls in your communication. Push for video calls, because it’s more difficult to pose as somebody else through video — although AI is changing that too.

Most importantly, don’t give someone you’ve never met in person access to sensitive info, including credit card data and account credentials. It doesn’t matter what the sob story is … protect your financials at all costs.

The Threatening or Blackmail Scams

Threatening scams manipulate your emotions through fear. They menacingly say you have to pay off fines, taxes or other debts stat … unless you want to face some dire consequences.

Threatening scams often happen over the phone, and the caller usually claims to be from the local police or a federal agency like the IRS, FBI or SSA. The scammer tells the victim they’ll be arrested or fined if they don’t pay off the outstanding debt on the spot.

Newer variations involve blackmail, and these might come through as an email. The cybercriminal will tell you they’ve hacked into your account and will drain all your money if you don’t pay a ransom. Or that they have secret video footage of you doing something you wouldn’t want publicized, and they will send it to all your contacts if you don’t pay.

Charity scams operate in a similar vein, but prey on your goodhearted nature rather than using blatant fear tactics. These calls pretend to be from a well-known charity and ask you to donate over the phone. It’s not exactly a threat, but they may guilt you or strongarm you into making a fake donation with your credit card.

How to spot it

The threatening scam is easy to spot once you realize that law enforcement and government officials will never call and demand immediate payment. They’ll send a letter or, in the case of police officers, just show up at your door (and you’ll likely know the cops at your door are real by their uniforms, badges and official police cars).

Charities will cold call you for a donation … but if you say you want to call them back directly or donate on their website, they won’t complain. They might even send you an email outlining your various donation options, allowing you to research the charity further or verify the true source.

Blackmail scams make no pretense of being from someone who’s not a criminal. They’re very upfront about the fact that they’re extorting hush money.

How to avoid it

When you get a call or email demanding money now, don’t panic. It’s not the IRS demanding back taxes this second, and it’s not the FBI about to arrest you for not paying a fine. It’s just not.

Even if the phone call appears to be from a legitimate organization, it’s most likely a spoofed number. In fact, AI now makes it possible for criminals to clone or spoof images, videos, voices, and almost every other aspect of a phone call or email.  

Regardless of the angle, never give your credit card information to an incoming caller or emailer, especially if you’re not 100% sure about their identity. And if someone is blackmailing you, understand that everything they say is likely a lie. Just hang up or mark the email as spam.

The Overcharging and Interest Rate Scams

Despite the name, the overcharging scam doesn’t actually involve overcharging you — it’s about making you think you’ve been overcharged so you give up your details for the reimbursement. It’s designed to sound helpful so you’ll lower your guard and cooperate with this supposed fact-finding mission.

A similar scheme is the interest rate scam, which congratulates you for being eligible to lower your interest rate on a credit card or loan. Like the overcharging scam, you’re asked for your personal information and credit card details in an attempt to take your money, or even steal your identity.

How to spot it

The scam call or email will typically tell you that you’ve been overcharged on a “recent purchase” without giving the specifics. Or that you qualify for a “lower interest rate” without telling you the details on what. Instead, the schemer will ask you a bunch of questions as he or she digs for your personal data.

You know it’s a scam because a real representative from your credit card company or bank would know the details of any alleged “recent purchase” or current interest rate.

How to avoid it

If you’re told you were overcharged for a purchase, ask for all the details without giving up any of your own. If in doubt, hang up. You can go to your account and log in yourself to verify what has been charged or not.

If you’re told you can get a lower interest rate or lower payments, ask all the questions you want. But don’t give your personal information to a cold caller. You can check your rate options directly with your credit card company or lender.

Emerging Credit Card Scams You Should Know About in 2025

Thieves spend their lives figuring out new ways to steal, so it’s hard for the rest of us to keep up. But you can at least be aware of what’s trending. These are some of the latest scams that build on or move beyond what we’ve already looked at.

Card Skimming and Shimming

Credit card skimming has been around since the early 2000s, but shimming has become more popular over the past decade. That’s when we started using credit card chips because they’re more secure than magnetic strips — but unfortunately they’re still not immune to scammers.

• What it is: Criminals install hidden devices on ATMs or gas station card readers to “skim” your card’s magnetic strip or “shim” EMV microchip data. It’s nearly impossible to detect these devices without taking apart the machine. 
• Why it’s trending: Shimming rode the wave of EMV chip adoption, and keeps increasing because many people still prefer using physical cards — even if the terminal isn’t secure. 
• How to fight it: Instead of swiping or inserting your card, choose to tap. When you use contactless payment methods or tap-to-pay options, the transaction is encrypted and no hidden devices are involved.

The Fake Delivery or Package Notification Scams

Most of us buy stuff that needs to be delivered, and scammers count on that fact. That’s why the fake package delivery scam was one of the FTC’s top five text fraud scams in 2024.

• What it is: You receive a text or email claiming issues with a package delivery, prompting you to enter your credit card details to “reschedule” or “verify” the delivery. 

• Why it’s trending: This scam capitalizes on the rise of e-commerce and online shopping behavior, as well as the valid assumption that many people will react without fully examining the supplied link first. 

• How to fight it: Thoroughly check any link you receive — does it say USPS.com, or USPS-com.co? If the link is fake, don’t click it. Instead, mark the message as spam and block the sender.

The Subscription Renewal Scams

You know how you forget about a subscription, and either don’t want it to end — or don’t want it to continue? Both of those scenarios have led to the increase of the subscription renewal scam.

• What it is: You receive a fake renewal notice for a service like Amazon Prime, Norton Antivirus, or Microsoft Office demanding urgent action and asking for credit card details. It might scare you into thinking your payment isn’t going through properly, or that an autorenewal charge just hit your account. 
• Why it’s trending: There’s a good chance you have a subscription with one of these major companies, and an equally good chance that you don’t want one. This scam taps into brand recognition to trick you one way or the other. 
• How to fight it: If you know you don’t have a subscription with the named company, ignore the message. If you do have one but you’re unsure of the status, bypass the message and log into your account instead. Now you can see what’s really going on.

The AI Voice Clone Scams (Vishing 2.0)

Old-school vishing uses a real person with a real voice pretending to be another real person. Obviously the voice is the weak link here if the target knows who the scammer is pretending to be (like a family member). Enter AI as the fake voice.

• What it is: Scammers use AI to mimic the voice of a loved one or a bank rep, asking for urgent money or card verification over the phone. The grandparent scam is a common version of this, where the caller targets an older adult and claims to be their grandchild. The kid is hurt, in jail, or stranded out of town, and desperately needs money now (oh, and please don’t tell mom and dad). 
• Why it’s trending: Phone scams are nothing new, but voice cloning technology is becoming more widespread and increasingly realistic. That opens up a whole new world to fraudsters. 
• How to fight it: Don’t answer the phone if you don’t know who’s calling. If you already answered, be on high alert. The voice says it’s your grandchild, and please don’t call mom? Well … call mom anyway to verify the story. Most importantly, never pay anything to anyone based on an unexpected phone call.

The Fake Customer Support Scams

Major companies have customer support departments, and scammers love to take advantage of consumers looking for help.

• What it is: You search for “Credit One support” or “Microsoft tech support” and click a fake ad or listing that connects you to scammers pretending to be support agents. Sometimes that link will even install ransomware on your computer with a demand to pay if you want access back. 
• Why it’s trending: People often prefer typing keywords instead of domain names. That lands them in the search results where scammers manipulate listings and ads. 
• How to fight it: Go directly to the official website of the company you need support from. If you don’t remember the URL, you can search online — but don’t just click on the first listing that comes up. Triple check the website listed and hover over the link to see where it’s actually going. Oh, and if someone offers you an unsolicited refund on “tech support services” you allegedly paid for, that’s another scam. They want to take your money, not give you some back.

The Social Media Shopping Scams

We all love a good deal. But savvy shopping means verifying where you’re buying from. If you found a guy selling merchandise in a dark alley with the explanation that it “fell off the truck,” you probably wouldn’t want it. The same thing can happen online, but with goods that are non-existent instead of stolen. 

• What it is: You see ads on platforms like Instagram or TikTok for “too good to be true” deals and get tricked into entering your card details on fake storefronts. 
• Why it’s trending: AI-generated product photos and fake influencer endorsements make these scams highly convincing. And it’s tricky to identify the potential red flags. 
• How to fight it: Take every offer you see on social media with a grain of salt. Plenty of real products are sold through social media ads or endorsed by influencers, but a lot of scams are floating around as well. Your job is to be the hard-nosed investigator on anything that seems appealing at first glance.

How To Protect Yourself From Credit Card Fraud

The first step is to set up some layers of security that can help protect you. That includes tools like fraud alerts, credit monitoring, and anti-spam apps if you want something more robust than what your mobile network already provides.

Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for your important accounts to protect them from hackers. When someone tries to log in, the system will send you a text message or email to verify that it’s you. Another option is to use an authenticator app that securely generates a one-time password for each 2FA process.

Putting yourself on the National Do Not Call Registry will help you ferret out scammers even faster, because legitimate companies have to adhere to the list. So at that point, any solicitation that makes it through is likely a criminal.

Finally, always stop and take a deep breath before acting on new information. Tap into your logical brain by asking yourself whether this makes sense.

What To Do if You’ve Been Scammed

If your safety precautions have failed and you’ve unfortunately been scammed, it’s important to take a few steps for damage control.

First, contact your credit card issuer to let them know about the fraudulent charges. Then, freeze your credit so nobody can open new cards in your name.

Next, file a police report with your local jurisdiction, because you’ll need to provide that to your credit card company and the government. Finally, report the fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.FTC.gov. This doesn’t open an individual case for you, but it does help law enforcement understand trends so they can crack down on future fraud.

Bottom Line

Having a credit card might make you attractive to scammers, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a victim. Knowledge is power, and so is knowing your credit card company has your back. For example, Credit One Bank offers protection against unauthorized charges with Zero Fraud Liability.

Thieves and scammers will always try to hook you any way they can, just like the scorpion will always sting the frog. But now that you know what to look for and how to avoid getting stung, the criminals can go prey on some other frog.