SALT LAKE CITY – The Better Business Bureau is warning online shoppers of a new ‘card declined’ scam.
According to a press release, the scam falsely displays a message telling an online shopper that their card has been declined.
Often, the links to the scam websites come through email, appearing to be a reputable retailer offering an offer for a discount or free item.
When customers enter their card number for payment, the website says the card has not been accepted. The card declined scam message is intended to get users to put in other cards or re-enter their card numbers, per the BBB.
At times, worried customers have contacted their bank to address the decline. That’s when they learned that they’d been scammed, as their card hadn’t actually been declined. Instead, it had been charged multiple times.
Avoid falling for declined card scams, other deception
The BBB offered advice for avoiding scams.
First, they recommended to verify that you’re shopping on a legitimate website.