Since March 2020, consumer spending habits have changed significantly. This includes how you use your credit card online. Almost immediately, scammers took advantage of this and found new ways to exploit it in malicious scams and scams that caused a dramatic increase in fraud incidents.
To find out where the credit card fraud capital of Europe is merchant machine We researched 19 European countries and analyzed the amount of money lost through fraud, the level of fraud risk, and more to find out where this crime is most prevalent.
Key findings from Merchant Machine include:
Ireland is the center of credit card fraud in Europe.
The UK is second only to Ireland.
Merchant Machine advises consumers to take all possible precautions to reduce the risk of fraud.
Ireland Tops List as Card Capital of Europe
Among the 19 countries surveyed, Ireland had the second highest fraud losses of 5,145 per 1,000 cards per month. There were also 180 searches for the terms “credit card fraud” and “reported credit card fraud”.
In Ireland, 88 people per 1,000 inhabitants are victims of credit card fraud, which is the third highest rate compared to other countries on the list, with 7,949 per 1,000 inhabitants stolen by fraudsters. means
In addition to this, nearly a quarter (25%) of all trade in Ireland is cross-border. More than three-quarters of these transactions were fraudulent, a higher rate than in the UK and France.
UK has the highest number of frauds per 1,000 population
The UK ranks second on Merchant Machine’s list, with the highest number of frauds per 1,000 population at 123, and the highest value per 1,000 population at 10,414.
There are 170 Google searches for “report credit card fraud” and 1,000 searches for “credit card fraud” in the UK every month.
The UK is followed closely by France, which has the highest fraud value and volume per 1,000 cards. This means that in France he has 83 frauds for every 1,000 credit cards, and in total he has incurred a loss of 5,521.
Europe’s Top 5 Credit Card Fraud Capitals
Country | Fraud value per 1,000 sheets | Frauds per 1,000 cards | Fraud per 1,000 population | Frauds per 1,000 population | Fraud Risk Index | Percentage of cross-border transactions in total transaction value | Cross-Border Transactions as a Percentage of Total Fraud | Average monthly search volume | |
1 | Ireland | 5,145 | 57 | 7,949 | 88 | 7.44 | 23.1% | 76.8% | 80 |
2 | England | 4,259 | 50 | 10,414 | one two three | 6.82 | 11.8% | 53.5% | 1170 |
3 | France | 5,521 | 83 | 6,716 | 101 | 7.36 | 8.6% | 53.5% | 280 |
Four | Luxembourg | 1,271 | 9 | 5,919 | 40 | 3.7 | 43.4% | 98.7% | 20 |
Five | Malta | 2,264 | 19 | 4,148 | 34 | 4.02 | 29.7% | 98.2% | 20 |
How to safely use credit cards online
Credit card fraud can be devastating, and criminal fraud on your card can damage your credit score and have repercussions on your financial situation. Here are some things you can do to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of credit card fraud.
Never lose sight of your credit card when paying for something in person
If someone obtains it, it can be copied or altered.
Watch out for unexpected text messages, calls and emails
Phishing scams are set up by scammers to trick you into revealing your financial information by pretending to be a bank or online shop. Do not click on any link or provide any personal information if it looks incorrect.
don’t tell anyone your pin
Always keep your PIN secret. Only the cardholder knows the credit card PIN.
Check your credit card statement regularly
Watch out for unusual purchases or transactions that you didn’t make so you can report any suspicious activity to your credit card company immediately.
Use strong passwords for internet banking
You should create a unique password for each online banking account with a random combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.
A Merchant Machine spokesperson advises:
We encourage you to keep your confidential information as secure as possible, act with caution if you receive unexpected messages from your bank or online shop, and carefully monitor your purchase history.