The growth of AI-assisted fraud has not displaced older payment scams. WIRED reports that fake replacement cards, mailed bank notices and magnetic-stripe skimmers are still effective because they exploit familiar objects and payment systems that remain in use.
Recent campaigns in Portugal, France and Germany have sent people fake cards or letters warning that an existing card is about to expire. The mail directs recipients to activate a replacement through a QR code or web address. That page is typically designed to mimic a bank and capture credentials that can provide access to a real account.
Some fake cards include the recipient’s name. Digital-banking adviser Georg Hauer told WIRED that the physical card acts as a trust-building prop, while cheaper design tools—including AI systems that can copy an image—may reduce the cost of producing convincing materials. That is his assessment of the operation, not proof that every mailed-card scam uses AI.
Magnetic stripes keep old skimming attacks alive
U.S. prosecutors recently indicted two Romanian nationals over alleged skimming that targeted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Many Electronic Benefit Transfer cards still rely on magnetic stripes, allowing stolen stripe data to be cloned and used against both current and future balances.
The FBI says EBT skimming has become more popular with criminals since roughly 2021. A U.S. attorney put annual American losses from skimming at more than $1 billion, a figure covering multiple forms of card skimming rather than EBT fraud alone.
Chip cards reduce some risks, but smaller merchants and independent ATMs may still ask customers to swipe. Security researcher Gary Warner told WIRED that criminals can install skimmers in ways that make the chip reader appear to fail, pushing a customer toward the stripe instead.
Mastercard has said it will stop issuing cards with magnetic stripes in 2029 and expects its remaining stripe cards to leave circulation by 2033. Until then, the basic protections remain useful: avoid swiping when another payment method works, inspect terminals for damage or unusual attachments, and treat unexpected mail with the same suspicion as an unsolicited text or call.
