With every random text message feeling like a scam and AI-powered digital fraud escalating, an old-fashioned credit card skimmer or fake letter in the mail may seem like a laughable threat in 2026. Yet these outdated attacks continue to cause significant harm to victims around the world.

Fake bank cards arrive in the mail with QR code scams

The practice of mailing fake credit cards to potential victims is especially insidious. Portugal, France and Germany have seen physical credit card fraud in recent years. Criminals mail potential victims fake replacement cards or letters claiming that their current card is about to expire, whether or not the victim actually has an expiring card.

The letter typically says that the new fake card must be activated by scanning an included QR code or visiting a provided URL. Digital bank advisor Georg Hauer said some counterfeit cards even carry the real customer’s name.

“This card is like a token that creates the confidence needed to be fooled by the actual trick,” Hauer says.

Scanning the QR code usually redirects victims to a fake banking website, where they are asked to enter sensitive details. This can give cybercriminals direct access to their real accounts.

“This activity has been escalating for nearly two years, and I suspect this type of fraud may prove successful enough to be deployed in other countries,” Hauer said. “The cost of creating personalized counterfeit cards has fallen in recent years, thanks to the ability of AI to copy designs based on images, and the high conversion rate per victim may justify the additional cost.”

Magnetic-stripe skimmers continue to target EBT cards

QR code fraud is not the only scam bringing back memories of the 1990s. Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama indicted two Romanians on credit card skimming charges. Authorities said the pair specifically targeted the government’s SNAP food assistance benefits, which are distributed to recipients in most states through outdated magnetic-stripe-only debit cards known as Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, cards.

Scams involving chip-enabled credit cards also exist, but the recent case is a reminder that classic skimmers targeting magnetic-stripe cards are still being deployed. The FBI says EBT card skimming has become popular among fraudsters since 2021.

“Skimmer fraud is pervasive, with losses reaching more than $1 billion annually in the United States alone,” U.S. Attorney Philip W. Williams Jr. said in a press release about the indictment. “This is a silent, insidious theft that occurs by simply swiping credit cards at the point of sale.”

The $1 billion figure includes multiple types of credit card skimming, not only attacks targeting EBT cards.

Why magnetic-stripe payments remain vulnerable

Dozens of states continue to use magnetic-stripe-only cards for benefit programs, said Gary Warner, director of intelligence at cybersecurity firm Dark Tower. If a magnetic stripe is compromised, the card can be cloned, potentially allowing criminals to access both the current balance and future benefits.

“The risk here is that if the magnetic stripe is compromised, the card can be cloned and access not only the current value but also the future value,” Warner says.

Even with more secure chip-enabled cards issued over the past decade, Warner says magnetic-stripe payments remain risky. At non-bank ATMs and small, non-chain merchants, chip-equipped cards may still be exposed to magnetic-stripe swiping.

“Magnetic-stripe skimmers are often installed in such a way that they force a chip read to fail,” Warner said.