Foto: BB.LV / Человек с мобильным
This is the experience shared by a woman on social media, who says she hasn’t made any online purchases for about a year, yet suddenly discovered several charges for purchases on the popular online shopping platform "Temu," writes LA.lv. "I haven’t bought anything online for a long time. Perhaps about a year or even a bit longer. I just found out that 200 euros were deducted from my bank account over two weeks for purchases on Temu. How can bank details be stolen if I am not buying anything online? How???" the woman asks in confusion. The post sparked a wide discussion, and in the comments, people share similar cases. It turns out that money can disappear from accounts even for those who rarely shop online or don’t shop at all in their daily lives. One commenter recounts that his mother-in-law, who hasn’t bought anything online, had attempts made to withdraw a larger sum of money. There wasn’t enough money in the account, so the transaction failed, but the bank card was blocked. "I think the problem was still on the bank's side, although they blamed the pensioner," he writes. Another shares an experience showing that sometimes banks notice suspicious activity faster than the card owner themselves. Last year, while preparing for New Year's Eve, he made several orders on the food delivery platform "Wolt." Since such purchases were not usual for him, the bank blocked the card and contacted him to confirm whether the purchases were indeed made by the owner. However, suspicious payments are not always noticed immediately. One participant in the discussion points out that everyone should activate instant notifications for card transactions on their phones. If a message were sent for each payment, a person could react after the first suspicious transaction, rather than only two weeks later when a significant amount had disappeared from the account. Various possible explanations are also heard in the comments — ranging from data obtained through phishing, that is, fraudulent messages, and reading information from cards at ATMs, known as skimming, to cases where stolen card data is resold and used by others. Several commenters advise making online purchases with a separate payment card that does not hold a large sum of money in everyday life. "I have a separate card specifically for online purchases. This account usually only has as much money as needed to buy a specific item," shares one woman. Others remind that in many banks, online payments can be disabled in online banking and activated only when truly necessary. However, the question remains relevant: how can card data be stolen if a person hasn’t made any purchases online, and how widespread is this type of fraud in Latvia? ## ## How often is money stolen from bank cards in Latvia? Such situations are not just isolated stories from social media. Data collected by the Bank of Latvia shows that fraud with payment cards is quite common in Latvia, and the number of such operations continues to grow. In 2025, Latvia registered 28,600 fraudulent card payments amounting to 2.4 million euros. This means that, on average, about 78 such operations occurred daily. The average amount of a fraudulent payment was 85 euros. Compared to 2024, the number of fraudulent card payments increased by 20%, while the amount of stolen money rose by 27%. Interestingly, most of these operations occur electronically. Data from the Bank of Latvia shows that 96% of fraudulent card payments in 2025 were initiated electronically. Moreover, in 90% of cases of electronically initiated fraudulent card payments, fraudsters created a fake payment order themselves after obtaining payment data. ## ## How can card data be stolen if nothing is purchased online? CERT.LV previously clarified a very similar situation where several orders were made from a woman’s bank account on "Wolt" that she did not make herself. Experts point out that payment card data can fall into the hands of fraudsters in various ways. For example, a person may have entered them on an insecure online store, linked the card to an unreliable app, or entered data on a fake website that was linked through a fraudulent SMS or email. However, there is another important nuance — stolen card data is not always used immediately. CERT.LV explains that fraudsters can obtain card information and use it only after some time. Therefore, it can be very difficult for a person to remember where and when their data might have leaked. It is also possible for fraudsters to gain access to a service account where a payment card is already saved. In such cases, the person does not need to re-enter card details for an outsider to make purchases. ## ## How to protect your bank card? CERT.LV and the State Police recommend following several safety principles that can help reduce the risk of losing money. – Use a separate card for online purchases. It is recommended to keep only as much money on it as necessary for a specific purchase. This solution is also recommended by CERT.LV. – Enable notifications for each payment. This allows for immediate detection of even small suspicious amounts. – Limit online payments. If the bank offers such an option, the online shopping function can be disabled and activated only when necessary. – Do not enter card details through suspicious links. Special caution should be exercised with SMS messages and emails that offer to pay a small delivery fee or update banking information. – Protect your email as well. If fraudsters gain access to the email associated with the shopping platform, they may attempt to use the payment information saved there. The State Police emphasizes that if a person discovers suspicious payments or finds that their data has fallen into the hands of fraudsters, they should immediately contact the bank. The bank can block the card and help prevent further losses. After that, the incident should be reported to the State Police.
