Overview

• Italian authorities detained a 36-year-old woman in Sorrento after finding a portable POS device linked to an alleged €9,000 skim from a tourist’s contactless credit card in Rome.
• Technology experts confirm that while smartphones require PIN or biometric authentication for every NFC payment, contactless credit cards allow sub-€50 transactions without a PIN, creating a target for small-scale skimming.
• Italian mobile POS providers must verify vendor identities with tax codes, ID photos and facial videos, ensuring each transaction can be traced to a registered account.
• A 2023 Italian study found that eight of eleven RFID/NFC blocking wallets and cards were bypassed by skimming devices, highlighting the shortcomings of common anti-theft products.
• Consumers are urged to activate instant transaction notifications, monitor account activity regularly and use simple interference methods—such as stacking cards—to spot and deter unauthorized contactless charges.