As terrible as it is, there will always be people out there who want to steal your hard-earned money, and as technology constantly advances, they develop new ways of doing it. Throughout the years, several credit card scams that affect both the customer and the seller have ravaged the world. Here are three of them.

Card-Not-Present

Sometimes abbreviated as CNP fraud, card-not-present fraud is done largely over the internet or phone. The customer gives his or her card information to the website or representative on the phone, and since the card isn’t present, the seller is unable to check the legitimacy of the card, which leads to the customer scamming the seller out of the product. many merchants now ask for CVV numbers to combat this, but companies like Ethoca offer services to stop this kind of fraud as well with their Ethoca chargeback solutions.

Phishing

Most people are aware of phishing scams now, so they are not as common today as they once were. If you don’t know, phishing scams happen when a scammer emails or calls you pretending to be a reputable organization, such as a bank or hotel. They then ask for your personal information directly, and if you give it to them, then they have your information and can use it. If you ever receive an email or phone call that directly asks for your personal information, do not provide it. Most reputable organizations will not ask you to give them that information over the phone or email.

Card Skimming

Card skimming is probably what most people picture when they think of credit card thieves. Card skimming is when someone uses a small device to scan the magnetic strip in someone’s credit card which allows them to steal that card’s information. These devices are often placed on the card machines at retails stores and gas stations, where the workers are less likely to notice suspicious activity. One way to check for card skimmers is to check whether the part of the machine where you swipe your card through noticeable protrudes out from the rest of the card machine.

Keeping your personal information safe should be a priority for any financially responsible person. This article isn’t meant to instill paranoia in anyone, it should simply make the average consumer aware of his or her surroundings so that he or she can make responsible decisions about his or her finances.