FORGING PAYMENT CARDS AND CYBERCRIME

Payment card forging and high-tech crime are deeply rooted problems in today’s society. These sophisticated forms of crime utilize advanced techniques and high-tech tools to illegally access financial resources and commit fraud. Payment card forgery involves the creation of fake copies of debit or credit cards with the intent of conducting illegal financial transactions. Access to card data is achieved through various methods, including skimming (illegally collecting card data), phishing (fraud through fake emails or web pages), or the physical theft of cards. Simultaneously, high-tech crime encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at the misuse of digital technologies and networks to achieve financial gain or harm to individuals, companies, or states. These crimes often include computer fraud, cyber-attacks, and digital fraud. This paper aims to highlight the importance and seriousness of payment card forgery, explore different methods and patterns of these criminal activities, and emphasize their specific connection with high-tech crime. Different methodologies were applied in the research including quantitative and qualitative content analysis, comparative analysis, as well as descriptive and analytical statistics. The obtained results clearly indicate the growing importance of this problem both in the legislative and in the criminological contexts, with a constant increase in the number of committed criminal acts. Additionally, the research highlights the inextricable link between payment card forgery and various forms of high-tech crime, which often intertwine and together constitute an overarching challenge to the justice system and the security of society. Finally, the paper will consider various strategies and methods that society and the state can use to counter the spread of these criminal activities. The ultimate goal is to preserve the safety and integrity of the financial system and protect the interests of individuals.