Overview
- Recent reports compiled by the Better Business Bureau describe criminals initiating unauthorized charges by getting close enough to tap‑enabled cards or phones without physical contact.
- Victim accounts logged by BBB Scam Tracker include losses of roughly $100 in Missouri and larger charges of $537 and $1,100 in separate incidents.
- Scammers often bump targets in busy venues, pose as vendors or charity collectors, rush payments, and start with small test charges that can evade fraud detection.
- Experts demonstrated that portable devices can read NFC signals at short range, though the maker of one cited tool says it cannot decode the encrypted security codes on credit and debit cards, and Michigan’s BBB says it has not yet received local reports.
- Advisers recommend verifying the merchant and amount on terminals, enabling instant transaction alerts, using RFID‑blocking sleeves or wallets, limiting tap‑to‑pay in high‑risk settings, and reporting unauthorized charges to banks and the BBB Scam Tracker.