TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a new scheme called “ghost tapping.”
They said these schemers need to be close to you to use their tools to get your payment information, so be aware of your surroundings.
“Ghost tapping and the technologies were there when the technology came out for consumers to use tap to pay,” Bryan Oglesby with the BBB said.
The BBB said there are some things to look out for to try and prevent this from happening to you.
“So, you just want to be very aware if you’re in a large crowd, in a crowded area, is someone bumping up to you, things like that. Also, be aware of potential fake vendors at events,” Oglesby said. “Now is the time of year where it’s good weather, there’s a lot of events happening, just check the vendors, see what payments they’re charging when you go to tap to pay.”
Angela Liberman has a background in cybersecurity and said she does all she can to try and prevent these schemes.
“Me, myself, I’m usually pretty vigilant about looking for warning signs, but I could easily envision like in a crowded event or when you’re out and about and you’re not, someone’s not paying attention that they could easily be fooled,” she said.
The BBB said you can use protective devices like RFID wallets or protection sleeves to make sure schemers cannot get your information.
They also encourage you to set up text alerts of purchases being made on your card and to check your accounts frequently.
“Anytime you have unauthorized charges made to your credit or debit card, you as the consumer is not responsible for those charges and you can dispute it. You want to dispute it timely,” Oglesby said.
Liberman said she has credit monitoring services set up.
“And I do get alerts. If you have the ability to set it up, I do get alerts whenever there’s a transaction in over a certain dollar amount to alert me,” she said.
If you fall victim to this scheme, the BBB said to report the transaction to your bank and to freeze or cancel your card.
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