New scam hits motorists passing through toll gates
A cybersecurity expert says the 'tap and go' feature is safer than swiping or inserting your card at the toll booth.
It's wild how criminals keep adapting to trick their unsuspecting victims.
Sometimes, a new scam pops up before you can familiarise yourself with the old one.
A recent crime trend has been affecting motorists travelling through toll gates. Reports show that criminals use skimming devices at the toll booths to copy motorists' bank card information.
According to IOL, "Ryan Thompson, of the Thompson Security Group, issued a nationwide warning, alerting drivers to a significant increase in card skimming that has occurred at specific toll points."
Thompson said that when you hand over your card at the toll booth, a cloning device secretly scans it to capture your card information. This allows fraudsters access to your bank account.
Many people prefer the old-school method of swiping or inserting their cards and have refrained from activating their 'tap and go' functions.
But this may be the best way to avoid being a victim of these sorts of crimes.
Thompson said criminals place fake devices over the original card machines and use the magnetic strip to capture all card data.
Card cloning is not a new practice, but there has been a rise in cases at toll gates.
While some banks and toll gates are actively trying to curb this crime by removing the swipe function from bank cards and toll gate payment options, not everyone has migrated.
Thompson suggested three alternatives to swiping at the toll gates.
- Use cash to pay whenever possible.
- Use the tap-to-pay option instead of swiping.
- Regularly check bank statements for suspicious activity.
Fellow cybersecurity specialist Richard Frost also suggested that motorists use their smartphone devices to pay.
He said they advocate for motorists to use their pay wallets from their digital devices. These are said to be more secure as you can limit the transactions.
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