A scammer charged $7,000 on this millennial’s credit cards. Here’s how she protected herself and you can, too

When Jessica Norwood moved to Poland for a few months, she dreamed of starting an exciting new job and traveling across Europe. What she didn’t expect was for someone to charge $7,000 on two of her credit cards on purchases at a Walmart.

Before moving, “I notified my bank to let them know that I [would be] traveling extensively,” the millennial co-host of the Sugar Daddy podcast explains. She didn’t expect the fraud would come from back home.

Norwood still doesn’t know how the scammer got her card information. The physical cards weren’t lost or stolen, but safely tucked into her and her husband’s wallets. But considering that more than 2 in 3 Americans (68 percent) have experienced a financial scam or fraud at some point, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Financial Fraud Survey, devious methods for theft are out there.

After Norwood contacted her card issuers and got her money back, she took a number of fraud prevention steps. She’s accompanied by the almost 9 in 10 Americans who’ve taken steps over the past 12 months to be less vulnerable to financial fraud.

This National Consumer Protection Week, it’s worth making sure you know what those steps are.

“When it comes to protecting personal financial information, layering security measures is key,” says Megan Pulliam, senior vice president of MeridianLink Marketplace. “Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, but consumers can stay ahead by using multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible.”

She also points out that consumers aren’t alone in the fight against fraud — financial institutions are another line of defense.

Stay on the lookout for scams

Even though Norwood has been able to dodge scams since, she still sees fraudulent emails and text messages go by. “Scammers are getting really creative,” she says. Like many people, she’s gotten messages from scammers mimicking her bank as well as shipping services like the U.S. Postal Service and Amazon.

There are several rules of thumb to avoid falling for fraud that many Americans follow. You can avoid clicking on suspicious links or emails (like 69 percent of Americans have in the last 12 months, according to Bankrate’s Financial Fraud Survey); enable two-factor authentication (like 49 percent) and update your personal accounts with strong, unique passwords (like 46 percent).

“One-time passcodes, biometric verification or authentication apps provide an extra layer of defense beyond a standard password,” Pulliam explains.

In addition, consider shredding sensitive documents before disposal (like 39 percent); setting up spam filters on your phone, text messages or emails (like 34 percent) and searching for information on common types of scams (like 19 percent).

“Being vigilant against phishing scams is just as important as any security technology,” Pulliam says. “Fraudsters frequently use social engineering tactics to gain access to financial accounts.”

Don’t be deceived by a false sense of urgency or fear that a scammer may try to instill. When in doubt — report it, delete it and pick up the phone to go straight to the source.

Pay with a credit card

Even though Norwood faced fraud with her credit card, she was able to resolve the issue quickly without losing a dime. The $7,000 charge wasn’t technically drawn from her money — it was drawn from her line of credit. That credit belongs to the issuer, and the issuer doesn’t want to lose money either. It’s incentivized to make the fraudster pay.

“One of the things I tell my friends and family all the time is you have so much more protection on a credit card than you do a debit card,” Norwood explains.

You also have more federal fraud protections with a credit card. As a bonus step, you can add your cards to a digital wallet, which encrypts the information while still allowing you to make most purchases in person and online.

Freeze your credit

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about freezing your credit. It used to be something you did when your personal information was compromised, like if you lost your credit card or a retailer’s website was hacked. Now, many people are freezing their credit all year round.

“A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, making it much harder for fraudsters to open new accounts in your name,” Pulliam says. “It’s an especially valuable tool for consumers who are not actively applying for loans or new credit cards.”

Once your credit is frozen, no one can access your credit reports or open a new line of credit in your name — including you. So if you ever want to apply for a new credit card, loan or mortgage, you’ll have to lift the freeze on your credit. You can place or lift a freeze by contacting the three major credit bureaus.

Norwood and her husband froze their credit to better protect themselves from fraud. She’s considered freezing her children’s credit as well, but hasn’t yet because of the more complicated paperwork. But “minors typically don’t have established credit profiles, so freezing their credit might not be the most effective way to protect their identity unless you have a specific concern,” Pulliam says.

Check your credit report and card statements

Whether or not your credit reports are frozen, it’s still good to keep a close eye on any activity with your reports and credit card statements. AnnualCreditReport.com offers free weekly credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Norwood checks her credit report once or twice a year for any errors or unauthorized accounts. She and her husband also check their credit card statements monthly. “We typically only use two credit cards at a time, so it makes it easy to look over our monthly statements,” Norwood explains. “My husband and I have a monthly meeting. So if there’s any charges that look weird, we actually just talk about them.”

On the positive side, 53 percent of Americans monitored their financial accounts at least once every few months in the last 12 months, and another 41 percent checked their credit report for errors at least once.

Norwood also utilizes free credit monitoring offered by her employer. You might be able to monitor your credit score through your company or bank or by paying for a service.

Set up spending alerts

Since Norwood didn’t often use one of the cards that was fraudulently charged, she could’ve missed the high charge if she hadn’t been notified. After the incident, she set up a mobile banking alert for any transaction over $35 on cards that she has open but doesn’t use regularly.

That way, she’ll know immediately if something fishy — like a large transaction or ATM withdrawal — happens on one of her cards.

“Cardholders should also enable transaction alerts through their banking apps so they receive real-time notifications of any unusual activity,” Pulliam says. To go the extra mile, you can set an alert so that you’re notified of every transaction, not just the big ones.

Talk to your friends and family

Bankrate survey data shows that older generations — 73 percent of baby boomers and 71 percent of Gen Xers — are more likely to have ever experienced a financial scam or fraud than younger generations — 64 percent of millennials and 63 percent of Gen Zers. While no one is safe from attempted scams, you can help your friends and family members be on the lookout.

For instance, Norwood’s mother recently got a phone call from someone asking to verify information on her credit card. She hung up immediately because Norwood had already warned her about these types of spam calls.

Scams also run rampant while shopping online, especially during the holidays or when buying hard-to-find items. Make sure your loved ones know how to verify a seller’s website or profile. Only the buyer or gift recipient should benefit from the sale, not a fraudulent stranger.

Americans still have a ways to go toward preventing fraud

The steps above help put safeguards around your personal information — making it harder for scammers to get to your money.

But older generations are more likely to have taken preventative action in the past 12 months. We can’t say whether that’s because they’re more vulnerable to fraud or have already experienced it. Regardless, 95 percent of baby boomers took at least one action in the past year, compared to 90 percent of Gen Xers, 86 percent of millennials and 83 percent of Gen Zers.

These numbers beg the question — why is the most tech-savvy generation the least likely to take fraud prevention steps? Gen Zers are less likely to have experienced fraud, so they may feel less urgency. Or perhaps their technological literacy helps Gen Zers feel immune to online scams.

Unfortunately, more than 7 in 10 Americans (73 percent) who have taken at least one of these steps report that they were defrauded or scammed at some point, including nearly 2 in 5 (38 percent) experiencing it in the past 12 months.

That’s why it’s so important to know how to protect yourself both before and after falling for a scam.

The bottom line

While you may or may not have someone charge thousands of dollars to your credit cards, people fall for things like package delivery scams and bank impersonations every day. The best thing you can do is act quickly to stop the scammer in their tracks. And after you’ve taken all the preventive steps, it’s important to know your rights when facing credit card fraud.