Old-School Credit Card Scams Are Far From Dead

Despite the rise of sophisticated digital fraud, traditional credit card scams involving physical mail and fake replacement cards are seeing a resurgence. Criminals are using AI to personalize these scams, tricking victims into visiting phishing websites via QR codes.
Why it matters
It highlights that low-tech, physical-world fraud remains a significant financial threat, even as cybersecurity focus shifts toward purely digital attacks.
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When every random text message feels like it’s a scam, and with AI supercharging digital fraud, old-time credit card skimmers and bogus letters that arrive in the mail may seem laughable as potential threats in 2026. But as we all suffer through a seemingly unending barrage of potential scams, these antiquated attacks are still costing victims around the world dearly.
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