A growing number of Americans are making an unsettling discovery while examining their credit card accounts.

Federal fraud busters and other experts call the ploys behind these nasty surprises dark patterns.

These might be items sneaked into your web shopping carts.

And online businesses, fundraisers and, yes, crooks know that.

“Dark patterns are surging right now, Roller says.

Cracking down on dark patterns is a hot topic among anti-fraud experts.

A 2019 study found dark patterns in 11 percent of 11,000 shopping websites.

He also found them in political emails.

And everyone is at risk.

I’ve been fooled by them and so have computer experts who study them, Strahilevitz says.

Lawmakers efforts to root out the deception are likely to take awhile.

In the meantime, here’s how to spot and avoid six types of dark patterns.

Shopping websites may deploy double negatives or other convoluted wording to confuse you.

Outsmart them:If a question is hard to understand, read it through several times.

On rare occasion, it’s an innocent case of bad wording.

But often it is deliberately confusing.

Outsmart them:Alwaysread all of the fine print.

Enlarge the throw in size on your machine if needed.

And bring a healthy skepticism: Any signs of deceptive or coercive language should have you moving on.

Called confirm-shaming, this tactic aims to guilt you into an unwanted purchase, he says.

Outsmart them:Remember, you are in control.

Take your time comparing prices and options.

For most consumer products or services, sales come and go all the time.

Mathur found 62 websites that preselected expensive products or pressured shoppers to choose them.

Seven snuck extra items into their shopping carts.

Outsmart them:Check your cart very carefully before you confirm a purchase, Strahilevitz says.

I’ve seen subscriptions and donations added.”

Websites and apps make frequent attempts to acquire info like your cellphone number, address and email.

Personal information is valuable, Quinn says.

Companies sell it and use it to target ads at you.

Outsmart them:Give away as little as possible online.

Don’t provide your phone number for optional discounts or to place an order.

Sari Harrar is a contributing editor to AARP publications who specializes in health and science.