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Allows Visa Scammers to Shop Without a PIN
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Here’s the scammers’ refined method of cheating store card terminals.
With the help of an app, perpetrators can copy your card information and make purchases without having to enter the PIN code.
– This is very difficult to detect, says security expert Carl Martinsson.
It only takes a few seconds to complete the blatant kidnapping. Scammers use a mobile app to read card information wirelessly. This is then sent to another phone, which executes the purchase. The procedure can be repeated until the victim’s account is emptied.
The security breach has been discovered by a research team from the main ETH university in Zurich. They have tried Visa cards, but other payment service companies can be affected as well.
– Scammers use the card’s “blip” function. The application leads the terminal to believe that the purchase has been verified with facial recognition or fingerprints. This makes it possible to shop without a PIN code, says Carl Martinsson, a security expert at Skimsafe company, which develops products to protect against high-tech theft.
Photo: PRESS
Security expert Carl Martinsson.
You can cut cards that are in the bag.
It has been noted above that the stolen card details can be used for online purchases. Here, however, are the physical stores in which the scammers operate.
The information on the card can also be read when the wallet is placed in a jacket pocket or purse.
– Because it happens wirelessly, this is very difficult to detect, says Carl Martinsson.
According to the Zurich team, the deficiency can be remedied by improving the technical standard for card payments.
“These changes can be implemented at the terminals and do not affect the cards that customers use,” the researchers write in a report.
Photo: Nesvold, Jon Olav / TT
Even if you have the card in your pocket, it can still be affected.
Tip: this is how you can protect yourself
To reduce the risk of being hit when shopping, it is important to be vigilant.
– Always keep your cards safe and be careful when paying. Make sure no unauthorized person can see what your PIN code is, says Carl Martinsson.
He also recommends a so-called protection card, which prevents wireless hijacking.
– Then it is always good to keep track of what is happening on your account. Then you may discover purchases or withdrawals that you don’t recognize.
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