𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐎𝐒 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐬 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

Most people are familiar with point-of-sale skimmers where scammers replace the cover or keypad of a legitimate in-store card machine. These capture your card data while the real transaction is being processed. Skimmers required physical access to a business’s terminal and often targeted high-traffic locations like coffee shops, gas stations, and grocery stores.

Today’s threat is different. Criminals do not even have to touch the business point of sale equipment; instead, they carry their own fully functioning, battery-powered POS machine, small enough to fit in a pocket, and bring the scam to you. These can connect over Wi-Fi or a cellular data, process payments instantly, and the scammer can be gone before you even check your receipt

⚠️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭

The scam works because portable POS readers are legitimate tools in the hands of actual merchants, so when you see one, it doesn’t automatically raise suspicion. Scammers exploit this familiarity:

📱 The “Helpful” Stranger – Someone approaches claiming to sell tickets, raffle entries, or merchandise. You tap for what you believe is a small charge, but they’ve entered a much higher amount.

🚕 Taxi & Ride-Share Cons – In several European cities, passengers reported drivers saying “the company card machine is broken” and pulling out a personal reader. Later, passengers saw double or inflated charges.

☕ Fake Hospitality Staff – In busy restaurants, someone poses as a waiter, saying they’ll save you the trouble of going to the counter. You tap, they smile, and they disappear.

🎉 Festival Swipe – In crowded events, scammers have been caught hiding readers in bags or under jackets, brushing against people to process small contactless payments under the no-PIN limit.

📦 Delivery Deception – Fake couriers show up at your door claiming you owe a “small customs fee” and pull out a portable reader. The moment you tap, the payment is processed directly to them.

🌍 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬

London, UK (2023) – Police warned of portable readers used in the Tube system during rush hour, where small £15–£30 taps were made in crowded escalators.

Sydney, Australia (2022) – Fake charity collectors with matching T-shirts and clipboards used mobile readers to “take donations,” charging hundreds per tap.

Toronto, Canada (2024) – Fraud teams reported cases of fake rideshare drivers overcharging tourists through handheld terminals.

🚩 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡

💰 The person doesn’t clearly display the amount before you tap.

📍 Payments happen in unusual places street corners, parks, hallways, or in-transit.

🕶 They block your view of the machine’s display.

🏃 They rush the payment and try to end the interaction quickly.

🛡 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟

🔒 Always confirm the amount on the screen before tapping.

🖐 Keep your payment cards or phone in RFID-blocking sleeves/wallets.

📊 Turn on instant bank alerts to catch unauthorized charges immediately.

❌ Don’t hand over your card you should always tap or insert it yourself.

🛑 If something feels off, refuse politely and walk away.