But the contents of the packages looked nothing like gifts either of them would want to receive.

I still dont even know what they are.

There were no extraneous orders in the couples Amazon Prime account.

When he contacted Amazon, they said he could throw the items away.

He counted six packages, containing 10 or 12 items total.

Chris does not have a wood-burning stove.

Eventually, Chris did find evidence of the orders: they were on his credit card bill.

Someone had obtained his credit card number and used it to place orders.

And then they shipped them to …well, him.

Its a scam that makes little sense at first glance.

Why would someone steal your credit card information just to order items they cant even use?

But its a little more complex than that.

Its a disgustingly clever crime, said consumer expertClark Howard.

Chriss experience is acting like a more nefarious version of whats called brushing.

But that low-level grift doesnt explain how Chriss credit card number got swiped.

Those cards, even if theyre expired, can be used against you if your account gets compromised.

Thats because credit cards like to play nice with their retail customers.

The system is set up knowing there is going to be a certain amount of fraud, he said.

The only retailers who arent as likely to carry that liability are electronics stores, Howard noted.

Meanwhile, Howard offered some tips for preventing this scenario.

Even if the number gets compromised, itll be useless to a fraudster after your initial use.

Your bank or credit card issuer might call this avirtual cardor virtual card number.

Youll lose the convenience of having the retailer remember your payment information, but gain financial security.

And that evidence could help law enforcement catch thieves and scammers in your area.

So many people never open their statements, or they dont look at their electronic statements, he said.

Contact your card issuer and the retaileras soon as you notice something off.

If they are ever unsure, they should call their financial institution directly, the spokesperson said.

We will immediately take appropriate action if we determine it is indeed fraudulent.

Once youve cleaned up the mess, dont let your guard down.

And the ways scammers infiltrate our financial lives keeps evolving.

Itll keep morphing, he said.

The criminals continually look for weaknesses in our own personal behaviors or corporate systems.

The best advice six months from now could be completely different because scammers have found a different weak spot.

People arent going to pay attention until somethings happened to them.

*Name has been changed for privacy.