A new gadget is reportedly being used by criminals to clone contactless bank cards from people who are just standing nearby.
The scanner – called the Contactless Infusion X5 – takes the information so it can then be ‘rewritten’ onto blank cards to be used by the thieves, reports the Daily Mail.
What is more, ready-made kits, including the X5, special software and 20 blank cards, are being sold on the black market in London for £500 a pop, according to the Daily Star.
The device is thought to be the first one to specifically target contactless bank cards, as the payment method becomes increasingly popular with services like Apple Pay making paying for things – sometimes too – easy.
The UK Cards Association revealed that contactless spending reached £1 billion for the first time in November 2015.
In fact experts reckon that by 2021 more than 14.5 billion debit card payments will be made, overtaking the estimated 13 billion cash payments for the first time ever.
And by 2025 people are predicted to use a debit, credit or charge card for virtually every payment they make.
So while it’s looking like the days of hauling round wads of cash or desperately searching for a cashpoint are probably numbered we now have a whole new wave of ‘contactless theft’ to worry about.
I guess it keeps us on our toes…
