While the world keeps up with the latest technology, so do criminals. In a video that has gone viral, it seems that card scammers have found a ‘better’ way to steal money from innocent victims.
For years, contactless payments, the process of tapping your card or a smart device on a point-of-sale (POS) machine, has been a norm for consumers to the point where some have the option not to provide their card’s personal identification number (PIN). Unfortunately, for one woman shopping at a local store, this convenient payment method saw her become a possible victim of fraud.
In a video shared by journalist and anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, one of the criminals (wearing a white t-shirt and sunglasses, presumably wearing the latter to obscure his identity) is seen placing items he intended to purchase on the counter. The second criminal (wearing a black t-shirt) then appears in the frame, placing his items on the other end of the counter.
Although the items were placed on the counter, the criminal in white tells the woman to go in front of them, allowing her to pay first.
While the woman takes out her card and gets ready to pay, the criminal in black distracts her with conversation while the thief in white makes his way to the POS machine with his phone, likely getting ready to scan the woman’s card and clone her details.
Tap-Tap!!! Be careful of Card Scammers.
The victim had no clue that her card was being cloned or that she was being scammed. #CrimeWatch pic.twitter.com/TWXJ9BIGpO
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) March 12, 2024
According to BusinessTech, the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBSSA) notes that this type of fraud, which has become popular among criminals, works by exploiting near-field communication (NFC) technology and tap-and-go payment systems. It involves using stolen bank card information – the card number, expiry date, and CVV number – to make fraudulent purchases through digital wallets.
