Consumers are being warned that handing their card over for contactless payments leaves them at greater risk of fraud.
Anti-fraud campaigners have warned consumers that the practice of bar, restaurant or shop staff taking customer cards before taking a contactless card payment goes against best practice.
Debit cards in the Ireland have a contactless payment limit of up to €30 per transaction, and many campaigners are warning that customers are at risk of having their details stolen.
Bank of Ireland state that there are up to 6,000 contactless payment terminals across Ireland but Andrew Goodwill, founder of the Goodwill group, which campaigns on fraud, told The Telegraph,”Customers are being made vulnerable to having their card skimmed [fraudulently copied] if they hand their card over, so they should refuse when asked to do this.”
Richard Koch, head of policy at the UK Cards Association, said customers should always keep hold of their card during payment.
“That way customers have peace of mind as they keep in control, and it also speeds up the process for retailers too,” he said. Bank of Ireland are also firm on this issue, stating in their FAQ’s about contactless payments that “For a contactless transaction, there is no need to hand your card over to the retailer. Simply check that the amount on the card machine matches the price of the good or service you are purchasing and then hold your card against the reader”.
Guidelines from the UK Cards Association also recommend that consumers are wary of “card clash”, where multiple contactless card comes into contact with each other and cause issues with payment.
Asking for a receipt on larger purchases has also been recommended.
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