Widespread Text Scams Target Credit Card Details

A sophisticated and highly profitable wave of text message scams is targeting unsuspecting individuals across the country. These messages, often disguised as urgent alerts from official entities, are designed to trick people into surrendering their sensitive credit card information. Common ploys include fake warnings about overdue highway toll payments, outstanding U.S. Postal Service fees, or unpaid traffic violations from municipalities like New York City.

The goal of these messages is to create a sense of urgency, prompting victims to click a link that leads to a fraudulent website. Once there, they are asked to enter their credit card details to resolve the fictitious issue. The criminal gangs behind these schemes then use the stolen financial data to purchase high-value items such as iPhones, gift cards, designer clothing, and cosmetics.

A Billion-Dollar Global Fraud Operation

According to the Department of Homeland Security, criminal organizations operating out of China are believed to be responsible for the toll and postage-related text scams. These specific campaigns have been incredibly lucrative, netting the criminals more than $1 billion over the last three years.

The operation’s success hinges on an ingenious technical trick that complicates tracking and enforcement. The criminals take the stolen credit card numbers and install them into digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay, a process completed in Asia. These digitally provisioned cards are then shared with accomplices located in the United States, who can make fraudulent purchases in person or online, thousands of miles away from where the card data was initially loaded. This method effectively separates the point of data theft from the point of fraudulent use, making the schemes highly effective.

Source: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/10/social-engineering-peoples-credit-card-details.html