Credit and debit card fraud are on the rise, but the most popular type of bogus transaction isn't conducted in stores.
Instances of "card-not-present" credit card fraud (purchases made using stolen card numbers online, through the mail, or by phone) increased at double the rate of counterfeit fraud between January 2010 and September 2011, according to new data from FICO's
Falcon Fraud Consortium. Meanwhile, the amount of transactions on bogus debit cards rose even more significantly than for credit cards.
Often, fraudulent purchases made in person were conducted at grocery stores on both types of cards, the report said. Meanwhile, other popular spots for credit card fraud were restaurants and electronics retailers, while crooks routinely stole from debit accounts at automated fuel pumps and ATMs.
Ondrej Krehel, the chief information security officer for
Identity Theft 911, has a blog about the ways in which consumers can be ripped off by hackers and other crooks through their credit card accounts, as well as information on what they can do to increase their protection.
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