Library: English | Recognizing Credit Card Fraud . Credit card fraud happens when consumers give their credit card number to unfamiliar individuals, when cards are lost or stolen, when mail is diverted from the intended recipient and taken by criminals, or when employees of a business copy the card or card numbers of a cardholder. This new Consumer Action publication explains how to recognize and avoid many forms of fraud that involve credit cards, such as skimming, phishing, ID theft and counterfeit cards. Filed Under: Fraud/Scams Credit Cards on Jan 16, 2008