Skilled cybercriminals who get a hold of your credit or debit card information typically won’t start making large charges right away. If they did, you or your bank would catch them quickly. Instead, they’ll begin with small purchases and work their way up into larger transactions. This makes them harder to detect. It’s vital to catch them early by paying attention to even small transactions that seem suspicious.
To protect your money, you need to understand how a professional hacker thinks. They aren’t just looking for a quick score; they are looking for a “clean” card they can exploit for weeks.
The “Test Drive” Strategy
Skilled criminals won’t start making large charges right away. Why? Because they know exactly how bank security works. If they try to buy a high-end laptop five minutes after stealing your info, your bank’s fraud detection system will likely freeze the card instantly.
Instead, they start with what experts call “micro-charges.” They might charge $1.50 for a digital song, $0.99 for a mobile game, or a small “verification” fee at an obscure online merchant. These charges are designed to do two things:
- Confirm the card is active: They need to know the card hasn’t been reported stolen yet.
- Test your awareness: They are checking to see if you are the type of person who ignores small, random line items on your statement.
If that $0.99 charge goes unnoticed, the criminal knows they have a “live” one. They’ll wait a few days, then move up to a $20 gas station charge, then a $100 grocery bill. By the time they hit the four-figure transactions, they’ve already integrated themselves into your “normal” spending habits, making them much harder for your bank to detect.
Why Your Bank Might Not Catch It
Banks use incredibly smart AI to track your spending, but AI looks for patterns. A small charge at a popular fast-food chain or a digital subscription service looks perfectly normal. If the hacker keeps the amounts low and the vendors common, they can fly under the radar for a long time.
This is why you are the most important line of defense. You know your spending habits better than any algorithm ever will.
How to Fight Back
You don’t need to spend hours auditing your finances to stay safe. You just need to be proactive.
- Enable Instant Notifications: This is the “gold standard” of security. Set up your banking app to send a push notification for every single transaction, regardless of the amount. If your phone buzzes for a $2 charge while you’re sitting on your couch, you’ve just caught a hacker in the act.
- The “Penny” Rule: If you see a charge you don’t recognize—even if it’s just for a few cents—don’t ignore it. It isn’t a “glitch.” Call your bank immediately. It is much easier to cancel a card over a $1 mistake than to fight for a $5,000 refund later.
- Weekly Reviews: Once a week, take sixty seconds to scroll through your transaction history. Look for names you don’t recognize or subscriptions you didn’t sign up for.
Cybercriminals rely on your busy schedule and your willingness to overlook the “small stuff.” By paying attention to the little things, you shut the door on their big plans.
