Old-School Credit Card Scams Are Far From Dead

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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.

The fake-new-credit-card-in-your-mailbox trick is particularly insidious. Portugal, France, and Germany have all had waves of physical credit card scams in recent years where criminals have mailed phony replacement cards or letters to potential victims. Included letters often claim a current card is set to expire soon, whether the victim...

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