How thieves use new credit card numbers before you receive them

Imagine receiving a notification about suspicious charges on a credit card you haven’t even received yet. How could that happen? 

While it sounds surprising and unsettling, it's increasingly common due to the rise of digital credit card fraud. Criminals no longer need physical cards to make unauthorized transactions, thanks to methods such as data breaches, phishing schemes and card-not-present fraud. 

Here's how these schemes work and what steps you should take immediately to protect yourself.