How do credit/debit card scammers get the numbers?

I just got an email saying that my card was declined to pay my phone bill. Yesterday I bought some gasoline with the same card. I pulled up my account and found the following unrecognized transactions:
POS SIGNATURE- VISA ##### VOPIUM S.A LUXEMBOURG
FDR DEBIT CARD VISA DEBIT FOREIGN TRANSACTION F (probably currency conversion for Vopium)
CHECK CARD TRANSACTION- ECHST.NET SEATTLE WA
Several days before that, I bought some books from someone I never bought anything from before. But I also bought gasoline from someone I never bought from before, as I recently got a truck. A few years ago, I got some strange charges from APL*ITUNES shortly after buying some Propeller development boards; that was the first time I ever bought from Parallax. Is there likely a connection between the first time buying from someone and having money stolen from one's card?

Hi Von,

With the amount of purchases its hard to pin point. You may get a clue on the date of the fraudulent charge vs your last good charge. Also keep in mind "Skimmers" this could have been used if you paid at the pumps.

Hello vonpaso. There are some possible avenues. The first is online purchases or paying online accounts whereby spyware on your computer could be used to obtain your card details. Card skimming is prevalent nowadays where the skimmer looks like part of the ATM and many would not notice the device. Apparently the skimmer device can be easily removed by the perpetrator before any one is the wiser. I don't think the time frame is relevant because your card number could be misused anytime by an untrustworthy type if they obtain the details.
Will send you a Private Message because there is another possibility.

I think I have been caught by this scam via spy ware on my phone could you tell me what steps I should take to remove the spy ware and should Itell my bank so I can get a new card?

[AlanJones]

If you suspect that your card is compromised then you need to report it to your bank immediately. Once the spyware is removed you will also need to change all your passwords that could have been revealed by the spyware.

There are lots of ways to skim card information apart from those already mentioned vonpaso xlura.

From comments made by members of the public on this forum the easiest way would be to set up a website selling half price iPods that accepts card payment - rinse and repeat. When buying online, price shouldn't be primary guide as to whom you buy from - security should be. Having said that the list of major retailers that have had their databases hacked recently is frighteningly impressive.

I don't make a lot of online purchases and only from known retailers I trust who don't have a record of getting hacked.

In face to face transactions, even those can be a risk and, never letting go of your card may not always protect you. The risk being of your card making a double pass through the retailer's reader and a card cloner. Restaurants where the staff use handheld card scanners being a particular risk.

I was amazed that stand alone cash dispensers existed in the UK that had external programming sockets. Some of those had been taken over to simply record card details and pin numbers aside from dispensing cash.

Compared with most people I'm paranoid and I use cash for most day to day transactions. I wouldn't say that I'm old-fashioned, I would suggest that perhaps I understand the risks better than most.

Here's an example from the news

http://www.her.ie/life/watch-woman-confronts-starbucks-cashier-at-work-who-admits-to-stealing-her-credit-card-details-nsfw/272927?

It’s hard enough facing January debt without finding out your credit card details have been stolen, but what would you do if you could identify the fraudster?

What I don't understand is why the victim handed their card to the cashier. Most outlets like this in the UK use counter mounted card readers. I've known rare cases when even these have been compromised, but they should be safe to use.

The first thing I think of whenever I use my card is the fraud risk.

Also be wary of people standing around you on their smart phones when you are using your card at counters or ATMs. There was a story some time ago about a person's card being compromised because the person next to them in line took a picture of the victim's debit card when he was using it at the counter. Ever since then I make sure not to hold my card out in the open while I wait for the cashier to ring me up if there's people around me on their phones - call me paranoid but it's freaky how easy it can be to steal card information.

to expand on what Tim said, they don't even need a camera anymore if the card has an RFID chip in it. There are "skimmers" that can read RFID information from as far away as 2 or 3 feet and basically steal all the information they need to compromise a card. The only solution for that I am aware of is a metal wallet, or at least some type of RFID blocking material the wallet is made of (typically a woven metal base material).