CHARLOTTE — These days, money moves in modern ways. As it turns out, scammers do too. Experts want you to look out for a new form of digital pickpocketing, known as ghost tapping.
“It’s a growing problem,” Ben Spradling, with the Better Business Bureau, said. “When you think about how convenient and how commonplace this payment is, it’s just a matter of time before somebody wants to take advantage of that.”
Spradling says ghost tapping is a proximity-based scam that uses tap-to-pay technology to steal money from a card or phone that never even leaves your pocket.
James Chatwani is a cybersecurity advisor. He says ghost tapping claims have surged 150% over the past year.
“An attacker doesn’t even have to have it out,” he said. “They can simply just bump against your wallet and essentially just automatically steal the information through essentially a wireless radio frequency.”
But experts say the best defense against ghost tapping is prevention. There are many products designed to keep you from being a victim, but some are more effective than others.
In a test of four different devices, signal-blocking cards, which cost about a dollar, were not successful, but a 25-cent card sleeve did block the signal. You just have to take your card in and out of it every time.
You could also purchase a signal-blocking pouch, which holds your phone and cards and prevents a signal from going out. It works but also prevents your cellphone from working.
The most expensive options is a $20 signal-blocking wallet-phone case combo.
If you’re looking for convenience, experts recommend the case, but if you’re on a budget, the sleeves will do just fine.
Luckily, your phone already has built-in protection that requires you to approve charges made with it, so the risk is lower with your phone. Just keep it locked when you aren’t using it.
Chatwani recommends that you set alerts for every charge, go to your settings and turn off your NFC antenna, and keep your phone’s operating system updated for maximum protection.