MSE News: London bus double charge threat with Oyster and contactless card combo

cosmojohnson

Pincher wrote: »

The last time I tried my contactless Virgin Amex with the Wireless symbol, the machine requested that I provide proof of identity!
Cancelled the "contactless" transaction, and paid by inserting the card, and typing in the PIN, all went through OK.

This is part of the security... depending on your card provider,they make you provide your PIN for a random contactless transaction
.

Have they solved the problem where a guy with a portable payment machine stands next to you in the tube, sucking money out of your card yet?

What 'problem'? Where do you think the money they could potentially "suck" goes?

Pincher

cosmojohnson wrote: »

What 'problem'? Where do you think the money they could potentially "suck" goes?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9163969/Barclays-contactless-cards-exposed-to-fraud.html

Not taking the money directly.

The whole point of this technology is small amounts, which means they have to have small portable devices that work on hotdog stands etc. You just register for one using some identify fraud victim's details, and by the time enough complaints have registered, the thieves have taken the money and are untraceable.

Saminus

I noticed an additional TfL charge on my current account and queried it with TfL - to discover that the replacement bank card sent by Natwest was a wireless one (I simply hadn't noticed the symbol on it!).

I keep my cards separate, but the reader must have detected it in my handbag at some point and charged it. As well as my oyster.

TfL were very good and "sent" the refund to my local station to be loaded onto my Oyster the next day.

But if I hadn't checked my account I'd never have seen the extra payment or known.

Exile_geordie

Saminus wrote: »

I noticed an additional TfL charge on my current account and queried it with TfL - to discover that the replacement bank card sent by Natwest was a wireless one (I simply hadn't noticed the symbol on it!).

I keep my cards separate, but the reader must have detected it in my handbag at some point and charged it. As well as my oyster.

TfL were very good and "sent" the refund to my local station to be loaded onto my Oyster the next day.

But if I hadn't checked my account I'd never have seen the extra payment or known.

thats very nice of them.. How did your handfbag manage to be so high up to touch in on the reader on the bus though? Or are you a giant?

John_Pierpoint

Isn't the question "how near does the card need to be to the reader to get itself read" ?

These techniques are used in factories to monitor parts passing out of a stores area - so in that case it is "not very near at all".

Perhaps it is time to wrap the bank card in foil, as a previous poster suggested.

Exile_geordie

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Isn't the question "how near does the card need to be to the reader to get itself read" ?

These techniques are used in factories to monitor parts passing out of a stores area - so in that case it is "not very near at all".

Perhaps it is time to wrap the bank card in foil, as a previous poster suggested.

Its a good point. Oyster has to be actually placed on the reader before it takes payment.

I have no idea about contactless cards though and their interaction with Oyster readers

John_Pierpoint

I've had that problem in reverse with Oyster. Arrived at my destination on the tube and the card claimed I had never touched in.

The Transport for London readers are probably pretty accurate and the two at once check, probably explains the reason why my simply whacking my card folder against the reader no longer works [The standard national pensioner pass being on the top of the folder, showing out through the clear plastic]

Pincher

I have seen women plonking their handbag on top of the reader, which saves getting it out.

What I want is accessories with the RFID technology built-in.
The most obvious is a watch. I usually have to remove a few links in the wrist band to get the right fit, so it should be relatively straight forward to add a link. I don't see why Swatch can't do an Oyster Edition.

AP007

callum9999 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is any technical reason why they can't get just replace Oyster with contactless credit/debit cards?

Obviously single fares on the bus etc. are easy to do - but could they track which card is paying for what journeys over the course of a day/week and adjust the rates when you hit a cap like they do with Oyster?

There are a lot of people esp the unemployed who do not have debit cads or credit cards and not to mention some old people.

goodfera

Note above;

TfL say that "Although your Barclaycard OnePulse has contactless technology built in, it will only be recognised on as an Oyster card and cannot be used for contactless payments on London's buses."

This "decision" of TFL needs publicising more, since I had assumed it would work and have seen absolutely no information at Underground stations or Bus stops to tell me otherwise.:mad: