SHREVEPORT, La. — As last-minute holiday shopping ramps up, consumer protection experts are urging shoppers to slow down and stay alert, warning that scammers are increasingly exploiting tap-to-pay technology and phone-based fraud.
Tap-to-pay systems, commonly used through mobile wallets and contactless cards, rely on Near Field Communication, or NFC, technology. While the method allows for fast and convenient transactions, recent reports from the Better Business Bureau indicate scammers are finding new ways to take advantage of it.
Jo Ann Deal, regional manager for the Better Business Bureau in Monroe, Louisiana, said a tactic known as “ghost tapping” allows criminals to capture payment information wirelessly if they get close enough to a victim…