Digital wallet scam: how criminals are targeting Apple Pay and Google Pay users

As mobile technology continues to evolve, making day-to-day spending more convenient and biometrically secure, fraudsters also continue to evolve their methods in order to find ways to navigate around these systems, through deceiving you into giving out personal information.

Now, with the surfacing of digital wallet scams, we are seeing fraudsters impersonating bank and service providers to request information they need to be able to use your Debit or credit card(s), to commit fraud on your account(s).

How these scams work

These are the current tactics for digital wallet scams which are being reported to us, but please stay vigilant; fraudsters will continue to keep developing and attempting different tactics in order to keep successfully using this scam.

When targeting Apple Pay users:

• The user receives a text message to advise they need to re-register their card in order to use Apple Pay
• The text message contains a link which the user can click on, redirecting them to a page where they will be asked for their full name, address, date of birth, and contact details
• Users are then asked to provide their sort code, account number, 16-digit card number, card expiry date, and the 3 security digits on the back of their card.

When targeting Google Pay and other digital wallet users:

• Users receive a call from someone claiming to be from their bank
• The fraudster will discuss false unusual activity on the your account, and advise you need to add your card to a new security system called ‘Wallet Pay’
• The fraudsters tell users they’ll receive a text message shortly, and they’ll need that code to register for the ‘Wallet Pay’ service.

If you are contacted either by text message or by phone call with any of the activity listed above— do not engage, this is a scam.

If you suspect you’ve received any form of suspicious contact, or may have been victim to a scam, please report it to us as soon as possible.