Watchdogs Warn Over Ongoing Security Fails For Contactless Payment Cards

With people increasingly using contactless payment when out and about, a UK watchdog has warned about the dangers of having key data stolen from debit and credit cards. According to consumer group Which?, thieves are now using ‘cheap and easily acquired’ technology to read card details from afar – uploading the data to a website. Researchers for the watchdog tested six debit cards and four credit cards using the newest technology being sold online, saying they were able to obtain information for each card. Speaking about the experiment, a spokesman for Which? said: “Contactless cards are coded to ‘mask’ personal data, but using an easily obtainable reader and free software to decode data, we were able to read the card number and expiry date from all 10 cards. “We were also able to read limited details of the last 10 transactions, although no cards revealed the CVV security code. We doubted we’d be able to make purchases without the cardholder’s name or CVV code – but we were wrong.” The team later purchased a £3,000 TV from a leading electronics shop, as well as clothes and household equipment. Which? are advising the public to always ask to use the chip and pin method for a card payment, and to avoid holding their cards in line of contactless payment machines when standing in a queue.