Protect Your Money Now From ‘Ghost Tapping’ Scams

(Tyler, Texas) - Scams are a constant threat to our personal information and our money. Scammers are using their smarts for evil by finding the trickiest ways to steal from you. Some will sit behind a keyboard and send an email or text. Others will get a bit more brazen.

One of those brazen techniques is to use a card skimmer. This is where a device is attached to a card machine at the gas pump, or even at a register, that will send your card information to a thief's laptop. Using "tap to pay" is more secure but there are ways that scammers are getting around this.

What is "Ghost Tapping?"

All of our debit and credit cards are now equipped with a NFC (Near-Field Communication) chip (abc13.com). This allows us to simply tap a machine to pay for services or products at a register or at the gas pump. It's a quick and easy, and safe, way to pay for stuff.

However, scammers are using a new method to steal called "ghost tapping." This is where the scammer can get close enough to your phone or card and use a device to tap your card or phone and are able to steal that information. It's a quick, easy and sneaky way to steal.

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How to Protect Yourself From "Ghost Tapping"

So how can you prevent this type of theft? Enable the biometric features on your phone such as your fingerprint or facial recognition. Turn on transaction alerts for your debit or credit card and monitor those statements on a regular basis. Don't leave your card laying out in the open, either.

Another bit of security is to purchase a wallet that has RFID protections built into it. This will help against someone coming up to your wallet in your back pocket or to your purse on the counter and scanning your card. I have one myself that works great for keeping my cards organized and preventing digital theft.

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