{"id":2380,"date":"2016-12-08T10:22:01","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T10:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrlender.com\/blog\/?p=2380"},"modified":"2017-07-12T15:48:43","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T15:48:43","slug":"protecting-against-contactless-card-scammers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrlender.com\/blog\/protecting-against-contactless-card-scammers\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting yourself against contactless card scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Protecting<\/a><\/p>\n

\"protecting<\/p>\n

We all know the basic ways to protect ourselves from scammers and fraudsters; never share your password with anyone, don\u2019t click dodgy links in emails and never ever<\/em> respond to that \u2018lawyer\u2019 who\u2019s discovered your long-lost cousin one hundred times removed on your aunt Doris\u2019 dog\u2019s side of the family is a foreign prince who wants to share his millions with you but he just needs all your bank details first.<\/p>\n

But what if the tricksters can hit us while we\u2019re walking down the street, without us even knowing about it?<\/p>\n

The introduction of contactless bank cards has made shopping and dining out a lot easier for many of us. But it\u2019s also brought with it a new wave of fraud; electronic pickpocketing.<\/p>\n

Electronic pickpocketing is leaving us so vulnerable to theft that some police forces have started handing out protective sleeves to residents. The move comes after they saw a rise in criminals using handheld electronic readers<\/a><\/strong> to skim people\u2019s card details.<\/p>\n

Here at Mr Lender<\/a><\/strong> we don\u2019t think there\u2019s too much to panic about – and we\u2019ve put together a guide and some tips to help keep your hard-earned money safe:<\/p>\n

How am I at risk?<\/h3>\n

Thieves can swipe money from your account while you browse the shops, sit on the train or walk down the street – and you won\u2019t know anything about it until you spot the transaction on your statement – if you do even spot it.<\/p>\n

Currently you can spend up to \u00a330 on a contactless card without the need to input your pin, and there\u2019s talk of raising the limit to \u00a350.<\/p>\n

The problem is that these small chunks of cash are not easily missed from some bank accounts. If \u00a3500 was swiped from your account you\u2019d probably spot it straight away – but would you pick up on \u00a330 here and there so easily?<\/p>\n

How can people take my money without me noticing?<\/h3>\n

Businesses can buy card-reading machines online for as little as \u00a330. They\u2019re not intended for criminal use but there are no restrictions on who buys them, and at the size of a smartphone they\u2019re easily concealed. In the wrong hands, the mobile devices can be used to process a fake transaction using your card. The machine only needs to be around 4 inches away from your card – so the user can hover it next to your bag or pocket as you stand in a queue or sit on the bus without you even noticing.<\/p>\n

Consumer group Which? has also revealed someone standing close to a contactless enabled card can easily \u2018lift\u2019 sensitive account details using card readers readily available online.<\/p>\n

Once in possession of your name, card number and expiry date, a crook with the right equipment has enough to commit identity fraud in shops and online.<\/p>\n

This happened to Hannah Willsher. She says:<\/p>\n

\u201cI used my first contactless card – a credit card – to buy some shopping. A week later I found hundreds of pounds coming out of my bank account. I phoned my bank to question it and it turned out someone had cloned my card and started using it regularly at a department store in London.<\/p>\n

Then when I was waiting to pay for my dinner in a restaurant I put my card on the table ready. As the waitress walked towards me her machine beeped and she told me my payment had gone through. She was a good few metres away so I hadn\u2019t been able to check the amount. I\u2019m very careful using them now and I get anxious taking them out with me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jo Coldwell also hit a snag while dining out. She says:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend and I split the bill. We both placed our cards on top of the bill on a small plate and the waitress asked if it was okay to ‘ping’ the cards for payment. We agreed and carried on chatting. It wasn’t until we got home I realised the waitress had picked my card up, pinged it for cash, put it down and then instead of picking my friend\u2019s card up, picked mine up again. So I ended up paying both halves of the bill.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And if your card is stolen, thieves can keep spending money on it even after you\u2019ve cancelled it. This is because a lot of retailers store up payments in a batch and then send them off to be processed \u2018online\u2019 with the bank later – usually overnight but sometimes a few days later. This gives a fraudster time to spend money on a stolen card before it\u2019s flagged up.<\/p>\n

So what can you do to protect yourself?<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately there\u2019s no sure-fire way to protect yourself from these scammers – but there are lots of things you can do which will stop you being so vulnerable:<\/p>\n

* Mobile devices can work 4 inches away from a card – so don\u2019t leave your bag hanging over your chair when you\u2019re sitting in a bar or restaurant.<\/p>\n

* Never keep your card loose in your jacket pocket, or carry your wallet in the back pocket of your trousers.<\/p>\n

* It sounds a bit futuristic and you might get some funny looks, but Which? suggests wrapping your bank cards in tin foil or lining your wallets with it. Apparently this blocks the contactless signal emitted by the card and stops it being read by machines – either accidentally by retailers and restaurateurs, or by criminals. It could get annoying having to unwrap your card every time you want to pay for something, but on the bright side it might make you stop and think before every purchase and could end up curbing your spending!<\/p>\n