Numerous credit card users worldwide have reported seeing unexpected charges from Shopify-charge.com on their statements. These mysterious charges, often for amounts like $1 or $0, appear without any prior purchase attempts from the users.
The phenomenon affects various types of physical and virtual credit cards, including those from Discover, Monzo, Capital One, and other Visa cards. Interestingly, some reports indicate these charges were attempted even on deactivated cards. The issue appears to have started around July 21st, with the number of affected individuals growing steadily.
A Monzo card user shared their experience on Reddit, stating, "Not sure if it was just me today but seems like I've got a Shopify active card check today. Thankfully, no money was debited. Got in touch with support and they confirmed it was a scammer."
Another individual reported a similar incident, "I just received an email from privacy.com notifying me of a decline. The declined payment was for a $0.00 charge at Shopify-charge.com. I have not used this card outside of paying for my Wyze cam subscription."
Such charges have been widely discussed on Reddit and the Shopify forums, with users expressing concern over these unauthorized attempts. Notably, two individuals mentioned seeing these charges shortly after creating new virtual cards at their respective banks.
The charges typically state they are from Shopify-charge.com and include a phone number (866-938-2427). Some attempted charges also list an address: 5715 Will Clayton Pkwy, Texas 77338, which appears to be non-existent.
Although Shopify-charge.com is a legitimate site operated by Shopify, which explains that these charges might relate to subscription fees or purchases at Shopify stores, many users insist they have never used their cards on Shopify. It's worth noting that numerous online stores use Shopify's platform, often without customers being aware.
Efforts to reach the listed phone number led BleepingComputer to Halsted Financial, a debt collection firm. Halsted Financial denied any knowledge of why their number was associated with these charges. BleepingComputer also attempted to contact Halsted Financial via email but has not received a response.
Speculation about the origin of these charges has been fueled by a recent third-party data breach at one of Shopify's vendors. However, Shopify has clarified that the breach did not involve credit card or payment information.
In an update on August 2, 2024, Shopify addressed the situation, stating that the shopify-charge.com charges are unrelated to the company's recent vendor data breach. "This card testing fraud is not related to a data incident at Shopify," Shopify informed BleepingComputer. Despite this, Shopify has not provided further details regarding the charges themselves beyond this statement.
Users experiencing these unauthorized charges are advised to contact their card issuers and monitor their accounts closely for any suspicious activity.
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