Everyone says tap to pay is the safest, but my card got skimmed at a gas pump with a chip reader.

It happened at a station in Springfield, the one with the new looking card terminals. I used the chip, not the tap, because the screen said 'insert card'. A week later, I had three small charges from a city 200 miles away. The bank told me the skimmer was inside the chip slot itself, not on the magnetic strip. If tap is so secure, why are we still forced to insert the chip at so many places? Has anyone else had a chip transaction turn out to be the weak link?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_ross18d ago

Honestly, I have to push back on this. The chip is still a huge upgrade over the old swipe. Your story is awful, but it's a rare case of a very clever criminal. Forcing the chip at the pump is about making sure the system works for everyone, every time. Tap can be finicky, and a failed transaction leaves everyone frustrated. The goal is reliable security for the most people, not perfect security for every single transaction.

jennifer83318d ago

Reliable for everyone" except me at the pump, I guess.

lilyp3718d ago

My local grocery store finally got rid of their old card readers last month. It's the same thing everywhere, they pick the one option that causes the least problems for the company, not the least hassle for us. We get told it's for reliability, but really it's about cutting down on support calls and fraud claims. The system gets a bit safer on paper, and we all just have to stand there waiting for the chip.