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(The Economic Collapse Blog)—Have you noticed a charge on one of your cards that you can’t explain? If so, you may be a victim of one of the “tap-to-pay” terminals that are being installed all over the nation.
The television commercials that promote RFID technology that allows us to pay just by tapping a card are designed to make us feel warm and fuzzy about this new method of conducting transactions, but it turns out that this technology is not nearly as secure as most of us thought.
The industry insists that cards with these new chips can only be detected four inches away from the terminal, but there have been numerous cases where cards are literally being charged “from across the room”…
Panicked shoppers claim they have been charged for purchases while their credit cards were still in their pockets after in-store tap-to-pay systems read them from across the room.
Several customers have raised the alarm about the glitch which is said to have occurred across stores, restaurants and even a doctor’s office.
One woman said she was at least ‘two feet away’ from the reader when it managed to scan her card information and process a payment.
The local ABC News affiliate in San Francisco interviewed one victim named Edgar Mathews who says that he was billed for his groceries without ever pulling a card out of his wallet…
Mathews was trying to use his debit card to pay for groceries at Safeway — but that never happened.
“I hadn’t tapped it, I hadn’t inserted it, I hadn’t swiped it… and then all of a sudden, out comes a receipt. And I said, ‘How did this get paid for?’” said Mathews.
The cashier couldn’t explain it.
According to the industry, this should never happen. When Mathews checked his accounts, he discovered that the terminal at Safeway had actually charged a Bank of America credit card that was in his back pocket…
Mathews checked his bank accounts. Turns out, the “tap-to-pay” card reader at Safeway had ignored the debit card in his hand. Instead, it reached into Mathews’s back pocket, through his wallet and charged his Bank of America credit card tucked inside!
The news outlet also interviewed another local resident named Sonya Cesari.
According to her, a tap-to-pay terminal at one store actually read three credit cards that were “tucked in a wallet inside her purse”…
“Three days later at a boutique in Yountville,” said Cesari. She got an even bigger surprise at a little shop.
“The woman said, ‘Oh my, it’s just read three cards,’” said Cesari.
The store’s “tap-to-pay” system charged not only one, but three credit cards tucked in a wallet inside her purse.
Unfortunately, this is a problem that is not going to go away any time soon.
More tap-to-pay terminals are being put in with each passing day, and more tap-to-pay cards are constantly being issued.
So people are going to continue to be charged by mistake.
In some cases victims are actually being charged for goods that someone else is trying to purchase. Just check out the following example which was recently posted on Facebook…
Of course this sort of technology is going to make it even easier for hackers and scammers to steal from the general population.
Credit cards and debit cards are both extremely vulnerable, and criminals have a variety of methods that they can use to extract the information that they need…
Have you ever thought about how woefully insecure credit and debit cards are? Try this experiment: Plug a USB magnetic strip reader into a computer, open a word processor, swipe a credit card, and boom—you just stole your own card information. It’s that easy.
Now consider that the same technology comes in faster and smaller forms. Tiny “skimmers” can be attached to ATMs and payment terminals to pilfer your data from the card’s magnetic strip (called a “magstripe”). Even smaller “shimmers” are shimmed into card readers to attack the chips on newer cards. There’s now also a digital version called e-skimming, pilfering data from payment websites.
So what can we do to protect ourselves?
There are sleeves that you can get to protect your cards, and there are entire wallets that are designed to block RFID signals.
And it is imperative to always be diligent.
It has been said that “complacency is a killer”, and that is so true.
Try to avoid using ATM machines as much as possible, and if you are making payment at a gas station or some other highly vulnerable location always look for signs that something is out of place.
But no matter how hard you try, the truth is that credit cards and debit cards are never going to be 100 percent safe.
In 2022, credit card fraud surpassed the 34 billion dollar mark…
Credit and debit card fraud losses reached a record $34.36 billion in 2022 after increasing roughly 5% from the previous year.
The final number for 2023 will inevitably be even higher.
We live at a time when theft of all types is on the rise, and it will be even worse during the period of great societal chaos that is directly ahead of us.
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2024 is going to be such a crazy year, and as conditions deteriorate people around us are going to become even more desperate.
So always watch your back, and always be diligent. Predators are constantly on the prowl, and you do not want to be the next victim.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Mysterious “Skyquakes” Are Causing Strange “Booms” in the Sky, and Scientists Have No Explanation
by Michael Snyder
(End of the American Dream)—What is causing the extremely loud “booms” that people are hearing in the sky all over the world? We are being told that “skyquakes” are responsible, but scientists have no idea why these “skyquakes” are occurring. In some cases, the “skyquakes” cause such powerful shaking that…
The Biggest Sale on Long-Term Storage Beef EVER
by Sponsored Post
Let’s cut to the chase. Prepper All-Naturals is offering an unprecedented 40% off for it’s “Beef Steak” survival bags with promo code “steak40”. With a 25-year shelf life and a single ingredient (beef, of course), our most popular product is available for a very limited time with the biggest discount…
Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever
by PJ Media
A federal court has just pooped in the oatmeal of the West Coast, Messed Coast™governors and local election officials suffering from acute cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome who think they can stop illegal alien deportations. And after this hilarious and thorough legal takedown from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals,…
Illegal Alien Terror Suspect Found Dead in Cook County Jail Cell
by Slay News
An Islamic illegal alien has been found dead in his jail cell after being arrested on terrorism charges. According to CWBChicago, 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was found dead at the Cook County jail in Illinois on Saturday. Abdallahi was arrested on felony terrorism and hate crime charges in October. He…
Trump’s Wild Bunch Is Ready for Action
by Frank Miele
If for no other reason than that it will elicit fear in the hearts of autocracy-phobics, I propose that Donald Trump’s second-term Cabinet be known as “The Wild Bunch.” The name is best known as the title of Sam Peckinpah’s classic 1969 western featuring a colorful cast of aging outlaws…
FAA Issues Flight Restrictions Over Questionable Drone Activity Near Trump’s Bedminster Golf Course
by Just The News
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday said that it has issued two flight restrictions on the area surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, following questionable drone activity. The drone sightings were first reported on Nov. 18, but have continued into this week, according to Fox…
Ex-FBI Agent Convicted for Stealing From Jan 6 Defendant During Raid
by Trending Politics
A former Houston-based FBI agent has been convicted of stealing valuables and cash while conducting searches. In one instance, the agent stole cash and silver bars from a non-violent January 6 defendant’s home. Nicholas Anthony Williams, 36, was indicted on January 31 in the Southern District of Texas. Williams, who…
Democrats, Media Elite Urge Biden to Pardon Trump’s Alleged ‘Enemies List’
by Breitbart
President Joe Biden should issue preemptive pardons to his political allies and those deemed to be on President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged “enemies list,” Democrats and their media allies believe. Delivering a preemptive pardon indicates an admission of guilt, although Democrats claim a preemptive pardon would only be intended to block…
Fani Willis Forced to Release All Communications With Jack Smith, J6 Committee
by Trending Politics
The Fulton County Superior Court has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis, ordering her to disclose communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, which accused Willis of violating Georgia’s…
Lindsey Graham Is the Warmongering NeoCon Leading the Charge to Upend Pete Hegseth
by JD Rucker
Pete Hegseth represents a shift away from the wokeness that has infected the United States military. This is possibly the biggest reason President-Elect Donald Trump tapped him to be the next Secretary of Defense and the vast majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill can support this, at least for the…
‘Where Are Black Democrats?’: Charles Payne Tells Personal Story to Call Out ‘Huge Double Standard’ of Biden Family
by Nicole Silverio, DCNF
(DCNF)—Fox Business host Charles Payne called out the alleged “huge double standard” of President Joe Biden’s family Tuesday by revealing that his brother, who struggles with a crack addiction, is currently serving a jail sentence. Payne said his brother, who is getting out of jail on Friday, is likely one…
Zelensky Admits Ukraine Can’t Retake All Its Land: ‘We Must Seek Diplomatic Means’
by Breitbart
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded in an interview on Tuesday that Ukraine does not have “enough forces” to restore sovereignty over Russian-occupied Crimea and “must seek diplomatic means” to end the Russian invasion and regain its land. The state-run Ukrinform outlet reported that Zelensky described Crimea – which Russia colonized…
Ultra-Processed Foods: How Bad Are They for Your Health?
by Olivia Cook
(Natural News)—Despite the serious health risks associated with eating junk food, they remain the most consumed food products in many countries, particularly developed ones. But a review published in The BMJ, which studied 9.8 million people, warns that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods can increase your risk for 32 diseases. Among these are heart…
“Already Pretty Far Down the Line”: The Container Store Could File for Bankruptcy as Soon as Next Year
by Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
(Zero Hedge)—As the retail apocalypse that started with Amazon and e-commerce continues, the latest victim is The Container Store. The retail giant could file for bankruptcy as soon as next year, according to the New York Post, who said the retailer is blaming its recent descent on “a weak housing…
Mysterious ‘Car-Sized Drones’ Over New Jersey Prompt FBI Investigation
by Zero Hedge
Several weeks of mysterious drone swarms over the skies of one New Jersey county near the military research and manufacturing facility Picatinny Arsenal have sparked concerns among residents and prompted an FBI investigation. “It’s kind of unsettling,” Mike Walsh, a Morris County resident who has spotted the drones on numerous…
UNESCO’s New Mission: Train Influencers About Combatting Online “Misinformation”
by Reclaim the Net
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now incorporating teaching influencers how to “fact check” into its activities. UNESCO claims that influencers have become “primary sources of news and cultural information” around the world – which prompted it to carry out a survey into how these online personalities…
