Thieves Test Credit Cards on Charities
July 9, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
To check the validity of stolen credit-card numbers, online thieves increasingly use them to make donations to charity, reports Information Week.
A small donation, usually not more than $10, helps thieves determine whether credit-card companies have canceled the cards. Purchasing consumer goods might raise flags, but most people do not suspect any fraudulent intent behind donations.
The Red Cross reportedly received 700 fake donations in June, out of 3,600 total, for $7,000. This figure is up from 150 in April and 350 in June. The Red Cross says it has systems in place to detect such fraudulent activity.
Read an article in The Chronicle about the potential for online fraud in Web sites set up by donors.
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