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This ghost tapping scam can steal money from your mobile wallet or card – how to block it

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Ghost tapping tries to exploit tap-to-pay to steal your money.
• The scammer targets physical payment cards and mobile wallets.
• The scam can be hard to pull off, but scammers persist.

Tapping to pay for an item using your phone’s mobile wallet is a quick and convenient way to make a purchase. However, despite the convenience, or perhaps because of it, there is some potential risk associated with the process. One type of scam that’s been getting a lot of coverage lately is ghost tapping. A criminal — or even a dishonest or fake vendor — can exploit the tap-to-pay technology to charge your credit card or payment method without your awareness.

How this scam works

“Ghost tapping refers to attempts by criminals to trigger an unauthorized contactless payment without the victim’s knowledge,” Shane Barney, chief information security officer for Keeper Security, told ZDNET. “Tap-to-pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC), which requires very close proximity to the card or device. While this technology is inherently secure, attackers try to exploit moments when people are distracted, such as in crowded public areas.”

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