Thieves 'can use tap-and-go terminals to steal contactless card details'

A Visa executive has admitted it is possible for thieves to use tap-and-go terminals to steal some card details but says Londoners are still safer carrying plastic than “wads of cash”.

Thieves can use a scanner to reveal a Visa card number and expiry date but not a customer’s name, CVV2 security code or transaction details, said Visa Europe’s executive director of product enablement, Sandra Alzetta.

Last year, Which? used cheap card-reading technology available online to steal private details from 10 unnamed debit and credit cards and order two items, including a £3,000 TV, without the cardholder’s name or CVV2 code.

Contactless cards are used for about one in every 10 payments in London. Visa predicts that by 2020 about half of all transactions by Londoners will be on mobile.

Rival MasterCard has unveiled a “pay by selfie” feature letting buyers use their facial biometrics or fingerprint instead of PINs or passwords.