Banks have admitted that thieves are able to use contactless cards even if they’ve been cancelled – sometimes months after being reported stolen. RBS, Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays and Nationwide admitted that a ‘weakness in the system’ can allow fraudsters to use cards after they have been reported lost. The ‘tap and pay’ cards allow purchases up to £30 without requiring a PIN number. The problem stems from the fact that some shops complete purchases ‘offline’, without checking with the card issuer if a card is valid. Instead of checking ‘live’, some shops store transactions and check batches at the end of the day, meaning that stolen cards can sometimes be used. The FCA says that if customers fall victim to this kind of fraud, they are entitled to get their money back. https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/thieves-can-still-use-contactless-cards-theyve-cancelled-banks-admit-103749226.html

Thousands of people with lost or stolen contactless cards have been warned they could be used by fraudsters up to eight months after they are cancelled. The problem generally lies in contactless card payments being processed in one of two ways - 'online' or 'offline'. When payments are processed online, the card and payment machine immediately communicate with the customer's bank. If a lost or stolen card has been cancelled, this will be flagged immediately and a payment not allowed. Offline payments are stored in batches by retailers and processed online to the bank at a later point, sometimes a few days later with smaller stores. This can allow a thief buying goods on a stolen card to go undetected. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3779910/Thousands-contactless-cards-lost-stolen-warned-fraudsters-use-EIGHT-MONTHS-cancelled.html#ixzz4KtdyLapj If your contactless card is lost or stolen make suer you check your statement for fraudulent transactions.

Hi all, need some help. I looked at my online bank statement, there is a payment for a place I have never been. My card is not lost, i have it with me at all times. I rang Halifax, told them it was not me, I was in all day in question, also someone with me. The card was used in Rotherham, Im in sheffield. They say the card had to be present to pay contactless. It was with me. Any advice GG

Now our banks seem hell bent on making us have contactless debit/credit cards, does any1 know if we can be compelled to have 1 instead of chip and pin. Thank you.

Is it just me or does any one else have concerns over this? I have never used a contact less card before until in one shop the other day the cashier said oh you have a contact less card so just hold it over the terminal, it was not till after that I thought if that is all there is to it then surely pickpockets etc if they get hold of your card can have a field day by using it this way? I normally use chip and pin in shops etc but to me this new contact less idea is making it just too easy for a would be thief? Sandy ( B/C'S other half )

Morning everyone, I was travelling home on one of the new routemasters yesterday afternoon when some inspectors came on board. They asked for my card, and since I used a contactless card I showed them it as I have done previously. They checked the last 4 digits with the bus driver and said they had no record of me swiping my card. I was positive that I had, as I had had to step over someone's things to do it and I watched the light turn green. They checked my details and gave me a penalty notice. They said I could appeal straightaway if I had proof of my journey. Apparently at the moment they have no way to check by scanning my card and this is being rolled out in future. I have checked my bank statement online, and for yesterday there are 4 charges from a bus. I actually only used my card 3 times so not sure how that happened! It does not say on the statement which bus the card was used on, or at what time. I am waiting for NatWest to get back to me about whether they can access this information, but wondered if anyone else had advice on what else I can do? If needs be I will go to court as I know I did swipe my card and co-operated fully with them. I asked whether they could use CCTV evidence but they said this was only for assaults. Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Not sure exactly where to post this - sorry if this is the wrong place. My experience is with Nat West but I believe the issue is of wider relevance. I have just sent Nat West the following complaint, after they sent me a 'Contactless' debit card without me asking for it and with a leaflet that tries to claim that the technology is safe and secure. Any thoughts? "You have just sent me a replacement Visa Debit card after I left my last one in a shop and subsequently cancelled it. With the card you sent me a leaflet telling me that the card includes 'contactless' technology and explaining how it works. My very first thought was that if I were to lose my card again, a criminal would now be able to make transactions for up to £20 without the need to know my pin number. How many such transactions could they make? The leaflet doesn't say. The leaflet says that 'from time to time' the pin number will be needed. How many transactions could be made fraudulently before the requirement for a pin is triggered? 3, 10, 50? Again, it doesn't say. I telephone the bank and your operator said that I should report any card loss immediately and that the bank would then be responsible for any fraudulent use. What if I didn't know that the card had been lost or stolen? Well, he said, the bank security team would block any apparently fraudulent uses. What if they didn't do so or didn't realise that it wasn't me using the card? What was the maximum number of £20 transactions that I could be liable for? HE DIDN'T KNOW! I have asked the bank to replace this card with one without the contactless technology and that has been agreed. However I am shocked and totally disgusted with the Bank's ethical position in this. Your leaflet explains that 'Contactless is very safe. Your card comes with the same secure technology used in all our cards....." The leaflet makes no attempt to spell out the potential liability that customers may now be exposed to. It appears to me that you are keen to increase the number and value of transactions that your cards process but that you couldn't really care less about the increased potential losses for your customers. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO SPELL OUT THE FACTS OR BRIEF YOUR TELEPHONE STAFF ON THE MATTER. And then there is the social damage. Prior to the mass use of this technology, people are aware of the attractiveness of the cash that they carry to petty-criminals. But cards at least had the protection of pin numbers. By introducing this technology on a mass basis, without engaging in ANY kind of debate with customers or even offering informed choice, you are actively fuelling petty crime / muggings. How do the managers of the bank live with themselves?"

Hi, I have been issued a new coop debit card, and it has the contactless feature. I don't want this feature forced on me at all - it is ridiculously insecure. I've called armchair banking, and the policy is that they have to issue them to everyone. Is there anything that can be done about this?

I opened my account was Barclays in April, the account was a young persons one as I was under 18, later on in that month once I turned 18, I went into branch and upgraded my account to the Current Account Plus. I had already got my standard debit card and all my details and my works pay going into this account. From various TV adverts, posters, and their online banking website I seen that they had a contactless card which seemed pretty cool to me as I just had the standard one. I went into my local branch to enquire and the cashier said that my existing card would be auomatically stopped and I would have to wait 2-5 days on the new one arriving, I declined as I was going on holidays in a few days and feared it would not be there in time. Then about a month later or so I was in branch lodging cash and mentioned it again, the girl asked the personal banker and he said to write down my account number and sort code along with some other number from the computer and he would order me it that day and I would receive it soon. Over a month passed and till no card. Yesterday when I went into branch to lodge a cheque, I mentioned this to another cashier and she called the personal banker who remembered that he had done it for me. After the phone call the cashier rudely stated that I had been credit scored and failed in front of other customers. I asked her why I had been credit scored for debit card and this was very odd, she wouldn't agree so I left. Once I thought about it, I realised they had credit scored me without my knowledge or permission. If they had of made me aware of the credit scoring process for a simple debit card I would have declined. I do not have an adverse history or anything, I just do not have much due to my age. I do although have a capital one credit card and Vodafone sim only contract from May which have both been paid on time. I rang the Barclays team and they agreed that I had been declined for a contactless debit card and they had credit searched me. I am amazed that I could be declined for a debit card, as all I could spend is what I have in my account? whenever I told the person I had not been aware that I would have been credit checked, he realised that Barclays had done something wrong and put me onto the customer relations team or something instead of debit card enquiries. The girl in this team basically said that I failed and that was it, but she could push this complaint higher if I wanted (although she sounded like she didn't want too) I agreed to do it as I feel like they are acting on my behalf and accessing my personal credit report without my permission? she did admit this shouldn't have happened and this will be brought up in that branch as it cannot happen. I have no heard anything back yet from this next team, what do yous think I should expect? Have they done wrong, I just want to know what I should be saying to them on the phone whenever they do call? Am I silly for getting so annoyed for them doing this? It was something silly that I just thought, 'that looks cool, I'll have that,' sort of mentality. I am still a college student, but work part time during school months earning a decent wage, and earn a full time wage over summer months. I am in a good financial position for being 18 with 700+ plus coming into my account monthly and never once went into an unauthorised overdraft, etc. Next year I am going to uni and am seriously considering using another bank for my student account. They seem very dishonest and uncaring to me. I do have multiple credit checks on my profile, but no missed payments etc, but its my own money i'd be spending.