Despite the fact that I have dozens of credit cards, I deal with very little credit card fraud, all things considered. It’s also not something that I’m too paranoid about, given the great protection offered by most credit cards in the event of fraud.
It had been quite some time since I’ve dealt with credit card fraud, though I guess it was time for that clock to reset. I always find it interesting to see the methods used for credit card fraud, and this one is particularly strange, so I’m curious if any OMAAT readers have theories.
Seven fraudulent Grab transactions on my credit card
While going through all of my credit card transactions this morning, I noticed something strange on my Citi Double Cash Card. It’s not a card that I’m currently using for spending (it’s “sock drawered,” for the time being), though I just noticed that I’ve had seven transactions on the card in recent weeks, all from Grab in Malaysia (or at least that’s what it appears to be, based on the currency).
For those not familiar, think of Grab as being the equivalent of Uber in Asia. The transactions ranged from $19.99 to $124.91, and it’s interesting how they’re spaced out so much.
When I look at the breakdown, the “Spend Category” shows as “Miscellaneous – Poi Funding Transactions” for all the purchases. I’m not sure if that’s just usually how Grab purchases post, or if that’s a hint of something? Because nearly $125 for a Grab ride in Malaysia is mighty expensive!
Some might wonder how I didn’t catch this sooner. It’s a fair question. I have the card set up on autopay, and since I’m not currently using the card much, I wasn’t paying much attention. However, I tend to review all of my transactions every several weeks, since that’s still within the time period where things can be disputed. It was while doing one of these “sweeps” today that I caught this.
What confuses me about this Grab credit card fraud
It’s always fascinating to see the methods used for credit card fraud, and I’m really struggling to make sense of this. Here are some details that make this interesting, as I see it:
- I actually did use Grab for the first time in early November 2025 (I can’t believe it had taken so long!), in Malaysia; however, I used a completely different card for my Grab purchases, and not the Citi Double Cash Card on which the fraud occurred
- None of the above transactions show in my Grab account, and let me emphasize that my Citi Double Cash Card isn’t saved to my Grab profile
- I have the Citi Double Cash Card in my possession, so it’s not that the card was stolen; however, I did have the Citi Double Cash Card in the backpack I was traveling with (along with around a dozen other cards — I didn’t have fraud on any of those other cards)
So does anyone have any theory as to what’s going on here? Is it just a complete coincidence that this fraud happened weeks after I used Grab for the first time, also in Malaysia? Did someone remove the card from my backpack while I was in Malaysia, and has been using it for transactions ever since (but only for Grab, and not any other cards that were in my backpack)? Is this even being used for Grab rides, or is this “Poi Funding Transactions” thing indicative of something else?
I’ll tell you one thing — credit card fraud is never boring, and the circumstances of how it happens always fascinate me. So if anyone has any thoughts, I’d be fascinated to hear them.
Bottom line
For the first time in quite a long time, I’ve dealt with credit card fraud. Specifically, my Citi Double Cash Card (which I don’t otherwise put spending on nowadays) has had seven transactions with rideshare app Grab in the past several weeks.
The odd thing is that this came just shortly after I used Grab for the first time, also in Malaysia. However, this isn’t the card that I used with Grab, and I also have the card in my possession, which makes this all very strange to me.
Does anyone have any theories as to what’s going on with this fraud?