Oh beep – Contactless card crime is booming
YOU might be one of the many of us who are now using contactless to make routine payments.
Paying up to £30 by simply tapping your card against a “reader” might seem like a painless way of paying your bills – but how safe is it?
Well if you had any nagging doubts about security you were right – sort of.
Last week, it was revealed money lost to fraud on contactless cards surged to £5.6m in the first six months of 2017.
That was up nearly double on the previous six months.
To put that into context, it was the first time it had surpassed cheque fraud over the same period, according to UK Finance. That was £5.3m in the first half of 2017. It comes after the number of credit and debit contactless cards issued in the UK rose to 110.8m over the same period, an 18% increase on the previous year, according to the UK Cards Association.
So is the rise in fraud down to dastardly criminals using pioneering techniques to get your lolly? Not quite.
Authorities say that while there were some cases involving tech-savvy crooks, the overwhelming majority were caused by one of the oldest criminal scourges we face – the pickpocket.
Once they had your card they simply went on a spending spree.
A UK Finance spokesperson said: “Contactless fraud is low, with robust security features in place in every card.”
However, like in most areas, it pays to be vigilant.
To make sure you aren’t a victim keep your bank cards in a safe place, regularly check your bank statements and make sure you report any lost or stolen cards to your bank straight away.
Experts at Which? also advise you not to let anyone take your card out of sight, as they could use a skimming device to pilfer data from its magnetic strip.
And always ask for a receipt, to make sure you aren’t being overcharged.