Why So Many Cardholders Become Repeat Fraud Victims

When it comes to credit card fraud, the numbers are startling. Sixty-one percent of U.S. credit cardholders have been victims of credit card fraud. And 51% of cardholders have experienced credit card fraud multiple times. 

How many Americans are affected by credit card fraud? Security.org estimates that about 61.3 million Americans had fraudulent charges on their credit cards or debit card accounts in the past year totaling about $6.1 billion in charges.

Many Fraud Victims Face Repeat Attacks

Source: Security.org, 2025-26

Who are these victims of credit card fraud? Adults who are older than 45 are more likely to be victims. Seventy percent of adults who were 45 to 59 years old and 69% of adults who were 60 and older were victims of credit card fraud. In contrast, only 47% of adults aged 18 to 29 had experienced credit card fraud.

Thieves aren’t grabbing cardholders' physical cards. Only 5% of fraud takes place this way. Instead fraudsters access customer card information through data breaches, skimming, and by stealing sensitive login details such as usernames and passwords.

Fortunately for consumers, 96% of fraud victims recover their money and have the fraudulent charges reversed from their cards. But only 8% of victims report the theft to law enforcement.

Many cardholders use what Security.org describes as “risky digital habits” such as using the same credit card for auto payments as they use for day-to-day spending, reusing passwords, and storing credit card information in their web browsers.

The number of cardholders who experienced suspicious transactions two or more times reached 51% in 2025 and 2026. Cardholders who say they have experienced fraud only once dropped to 10% from 23% in 2021.

One reason repeat fraud can occur, Security.org notes, is that compromised card data may circulate online for months or years. Once a credit cardholder’s data is compromised in a data breach, the information circulates around the dark web for months or even years. This leads to repeated misuse of the credit card information.

Compromised card data may circulate on the dark web for months or years, leading to repeat attacks from fraudsters.

How much are thieves charging on stolen credit card accounts? The median fraudulent charge is $100, and it’s been that way for 2025 and 2026. It is small enough that many consumers may not notice it amid their legitimate transactions.

Twenty-two percent of fraud victims had recurring fraudulent charges from the same merchant. In these instances, fraudsters set up smaller, recurring charges on stolen credit card accounts. These charges are often disguised as subscriptions or services, according to Security.org.

Protect your account by using these safe credit card habits. Review all credit card statements. Use multifactor authentication for card accounts. Keep track of credit card transactions by subscribing to email or text alerts.

Make use of an online password manager. Sign up for a credit monitoring service. Use separate cards for day-to-day spending and recurring payments. 

One way to safeguard your credit is to place a fraud alert on your credit report. Once you do, creditors will have to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit. 

A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report for new-credit decisions, making it harder for a fraudster to open new accounts in your name. This is a good strategy if your identity and credit information has been compromised in a data breach.