Tap to pay has become one of my favorite modern conveniences.I use it all the time.
In fact, I rarely need to pull out a physical wallet anymore because contactless payments are accepted in so many places.There's a security advantage, too.Mobile wallets can use tokenization or virtual card numbers, so your actual card number does not need to pass directly to a merchant during a transaction.That makes what's happening with a tap-to-pay charity scam especially frustrating.
Criminals are taking a technology designed to make paying easier and using a moment of distraction to turn a small donation into a potentially massive charge.You may think you're giving $5 or $20 to a good cause.Then you check your account and discover hundreds or even thousands of dollars are gone.
Here's how the scam works and what you can do to protect your money.APPLE PAY TEXT SCAM THREATENS $8,250 LOSS IN 35 MINUTESScammers are using tap-to-pay charity requests to trick people into authorizing charges far larger than the donations they intended to make.(ZeynepKaya/Getty Images)New! Free live CyberGuy class: Protect Your Money From Today’s Biggest ThreatsJoin us Saturday, Aug.
29, at 10 a.m.ET for a free CyberGuy LIVE class covering five simple steps to help defend yourself against AI scams, fraud, identity theft and financial hacks.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will explain how to set up bank alerts, strengthen your account logins, protect your phone number, freeze your credit and help secure your retirement savings against unauthorized transfers.No technical experience is needed.
You’ll also receive our financial protection checklist, and every registrant will get a link to the class recording afterward.Reserve your free spot today at CyberGuyLive.com.The setup can feel completely ordinary.You're leaving a store, walking through a busy shopping area or heading through a public event.
Someone approaches you and claims to be raising money for a youth group, school fundraiser or another ca...