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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Samuel Gibbs

Scammers guessed my credit card number – and they could guess yours too

Man using laptop and holding credit card
Credit card fraud cost the UK £574.2m in 2020, according to data from the industry body UK Finance. Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images

I am no stranger to credit card fraud: in the past I have had my card cloned and had the details stolen from a hack on a retailer. But I thought a card I had never used would be safe from the threat of crime. I was wrong.

Even if you lock your credit card in a safe the moment it arrives, you can still fall victim to charges made by criminals. But how can criminals steal your card details if you’ve never even used them?

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