We hear of credit cards being scammed daily. Nasty assholes used all manners of tricks to make money without having to work for it. There is one scam I am still unsure is actually true.

On those TV adverts for cheap and nasty craps, there is some clever dicks selling "credit card blockers". Apparently, some crooks can simply walk past you with a device in their bag, and it will collect all the information required out of your credit card and scam the living daylight out of you. Then here comes the savior...A Credit Card Blocker. All it you need is to put it among your cards in your pocket or handbag, and it somehow deflects the data stealing signals, render it useless against your cards.

At $50 odd dollars, it is a steal...Or is that a scam on scam ?

Select to expand quote

Jupiter said..

Scanning paywave or magnetic strip ?. If later, then I am not sure what technology would be able to read a magnetic strip from such a large distance. Paywave, I have no clue about. I have this feature disabled on my cards.

When I use pay wave it takes about 3 goes at only a few mm from the scanning surface..... The chances of secretly getting the card info from your pocket would be difficult. ..... Possible but difficult.

I think such devices are nothing more than "scam-ware". I am surprised that the Consumer Protection Department isn't onto it already. But then again, many people fell for bullcrap ware because they are lacking in skepticism.

RFID are readable at a distance. Here, they put them in drivers licenses and alien registration cards (yes I'm a registered alien) and so you've basically given up your rights to refuse unlawful search and handing over personal information to at least, the cops and who knows who else...

Magnetic stripes on you cash cards don't contain that much information. And they'd still need your secret code off the back...

I have heard such things.

There is software that you can get that is a lot more powerful than the paywave readers in the eftpos machines. Instead of needing a few mm to make contact, they can pick up data over a meter away.

There may be a market for wallets that have a thin lamination of steel sewn into them both in front and behind the credit card slots to stop scanning from a distance?

You can worrry about things like this and buy all sorts of unneccesary gizmos, or you can get on with life.

It's a good idea to check your credit card statement anyway each month, you can get hit even without giving out your details, there are credit card number generators out there.

If you get hit with a RFID / paywave scam, it's most likely you're someone who gets jostled on busy public transport every day. It'll be a charge you don't know about, close to the $100 limit without needing a pin. So if you get a $99 charge that is a fraud, just request a chargeback, get your money back, move along.

Select to expand quote

Harrow said..
There may be a market for wallets that have a thin lamination of steel sewn into them both in front and behind the credit card slots to stop scanning from a distance?

Make your own with duct tape and tin foil...there are instrucables out there.

Yes, scammers can hit your paywave with their own scanner in a crowded situation, however it is not nearly as big in AU as it is in Europe.

The more worrying scams these days are the email or text msg that can be disguised to look like a director / senior in a company or even at a personal level like a wife or husband.

They can hack a phone, figure out by the text alerts who usually pays the bills, then send a message from that phone to the 'wife contact' (not hard to figure out by reading texts if not labeled) saying that they missed the last power bill or rates bill and they get cut of if payment doesn't happen today. ie.
"OMG, I just got a text from Synergy! I missed the last power bill and now it's being cut off! My internet banking isn't working! I'll forward you the text, can you please pay now!"

Dutiful hubby or wife, in a mad stressed panic, clicks on whatever link is sent through next and throws in all the details.

I work in insurance and have seen a huge amount of info on cyber crime and the sheer extent is incredible.

Select to expand quote

Harrow said..
There may be a market for wallets that have a thin lamination of steel sewn into them both in front and behind the credit card slots to stop scanning from a distance?

I have such a wallet. Its called Vault. Can't scan it. Ive tried holding it over pay wave machine at Coles and it won't scan the card through the wallet.

easy solution to being scammed via paywave etc..........keep SFA in your bank account

Just have couple of kids buy a house, you wont have any money left for them to scam off you haha.
best would be seperate your savings account just have a weekly spending account card without hudge amounts of money in it.

Select to expand quote

R0CKH0PPER said..
I have heard such things.

There is software that you can get that is a lot more powerful than the paywave readers in the eftpos machines. Instead of needing a few mm to make contact, they can pick up data over a meter away.

I think you mean antenna, and maybe an amplifier.
i will gladly sell you software that has such magical abilities, just post your credid card details below this post and please give the cvv as well.

Select to expand quote

westozwind said..

R0CKH0PPER said..
i will gladly sell you software that has such magical abilities, just post your credid card details below this post and please give the cvv as well.

With scammers crawling around the place, I think it would be much safer if I email you the details. Please provide your email address. I can invite you to my very own first birthday party.

doesn't the bank or credit card company cover the cost of the scam?