Consumers have been warned to be extra careful about where they keep their debit and bank cards; tech-savvy thieves have found a new way to get their hands on your cash, without even touching it.
Apparently, criminals may be using point-of-sale devices to charge the debit cards of unsuspecting shoppers and commuters.
After entering a charge less than €30, all the thief has to do is touch the device on a pocket or bag containing a wallet and a touch-pay enabled card and the transaction is charged to the owner’s account.
While we’ll be staying vigilant, Visa says that since the introduction of contactless payments a number of years ago, card fraud has remained at historic low levels.
They also say that a scam like this would be difficult to undertake – “not least because the fraudster would have to be registered as a merchant, and therefore traceable, and also need to be very close to the cardholder, behaving in a way likely to arouse suspicion”.
Nevertheless it seems the safest place to keep your contactless bank card is in the inner pocket of your coat or bag. If you believe you may have been a victim of fraud, contact your bank or credit card company immediately.
