Scammers Taking Advantage of Apple Pay

Scammers Taking Advantage of Apple Pay

Scammers have figured out ways to manipulate Apple Pay, allowing criminals to use the platform to buy items with stolen identities and credit cards, according to a report.

“The crooks have not broken the secure encryption around Apple Pay’s fingerprint-activated wireless payment mechanism,” says Charles Arthur of The Guardian “Instead, they are setting up new iPhones with stolen personal information, and then calling banks to ‘provision’ the victim’s card on the phone to use it to buy goods. Criminals with the stolen IDs are understood to have targeted Apple Stores in particular because they both accept Apple Pay and offer high-value items, which can then be sold on for cash.”

Apple has responded, saying this is a problem on the banks’ end given that Apple Pay requires banks to verify each card and approve whether or not a card can be added to Apple Pay.

Banks are looking to implement better verification and checking systems to prevent this from occurring going forward. The secure encryption of Apple Pay has yet to be broken.

Tim Sloane, vice president of payments innovation at the Massachusetts-based financial consultancy Mercator Group, said: “These are probably just some teething problems. If the banks can nail down the authentication, they should see less fraud on Apple Pay,” and added: “Battle plans always look great until you meet the enemy.”

About the Author

Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.

Featured

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.