It’s the modern day pickpocket! Contactless credit cards that use Near Field

It’s the modern day pickpocket!

Contactless credit cards that use Near Field Communication have gained popularity in recent years. They allow users to pay for purchases simply by waving their card at a card reader, but this also makes such cards easy targets for digital pickpockets.

By placing their smartphone or tablet within three centimeters of your wallet or bag, they can read the card number, name and expiry date in just two to three seconds.

Crowded trains or buses make it easy for them to operate.

Experts said the perpetrators may sell the information to a syndicate, which would then re-distribute the information. This makes it harder to track the culprits down.

Experts added that they hope authorities and card companies can work together to improve the security of such cards. One way is for credit cards to adopt the CEPAS standard, which is currently used for EZ Link cards.

MasterCard told Channel NewsAsia it takes a serious view of card security, adding that it believes its PayPass credit cards and the security number at the back of the cards can prevent such theft.

Tong Hui Leong, director of NTS Consulting, said: “You probably can use a piece of aluminum foil, wrap it around your credit card, and that will actually stop most of the NFC communication and the frequency.”

With new technology, comes new ways to get robbed! Thieves are always a step ahead!!

Source www.channelnewsasia.com