I would imagine that the reason they dont pursue fraud acts under 25$ is that it just isnt financially justifiable; similar to how most gas stations wont even call the cops if you run off without paying a gas bill under 10 dollars. I mean yeah Im pissed and what not but Id rather lose 25 bucks here and there then spend a couple hundred minimum in legal fees on each occurrence for the smallest chance that I might see a cent of that lost money back again.

What you need to remember in these situations is that unlike most crimes you arent just playing the house, youre also playing other people. Some sort of poker/blackjack monstrosity of a game with shit odds. The house, aka VISA, might not give a shit but the individual that you are directly stealing from will also have a go at you if he has a chance. In the digital age I imagine that credit fraud at the low level would have been all but gone by now, my boyfriend has instant access to his credit statements on his fucking phone for crying out loud. He notices when waiters add a dollar to his intended tip, happens more than you would think actually, because he gets alerts when someone adds a charge to his cards.

These individuals are the ones you need to worry about. These are not profit driven machines that can be understood or tamed, these are wild crazy everyday people who will drop a couple thousand dollars just to make sure you go to jail.

Most credit fraud, I would imagine, is done on the basis of large ticket items that can be sort of laundered if you will. Like using a random persons credit to qualify on a loan/credit card and purchase a boat, then turning and selling that boat at value for cash in hand.