One of the most interesting things about credit card theft is that every single purchase is traceable. It is not like stealing a wad of cash, you haven’t gotten away after the initial theft. You would think it would be easy to track down a thief who uses a card, but these fraudsters are a bit smarter than you give them credit for. Now, just how are some thieves able to stay active and out of jail for so long?
They create a duplicate of your card
Online fraudsters can buy stolen information from $5 to $50 depending on the origin. After that some are able to manufacture a genuine-looking credit card from blanks, program the magnetic strips to effectively create a replica of the card that you still have in your possession. With that card and some cool nerves, they are able to use that duplicate to buy merchandise at any store. Many fraudsters turn around and resell those good online for a cash profit, then dispose of the duplicate cards.