Beware Melbourne Taxis skimming credit cards

[dajop]

Either the airport taxis are different

This.

Over many years, a repeated conversation with what I would consider the more professional, cleaner, well skilled drivers, is that they would rather lots of short fares, than hang around at the airport for a couple of hours waiting for a big fare . There seems to be a certain type that will go and wait at the airport, and another that will take on lots of short fares within a suburb or group of suburbs.

Also are your fares hailed at the rank, or booked over phone or app via a specific taxi service provider?

 

[coriander]

Are your fares hailed at the rank, or booked over phone or app via a specific taxi service provider?

Inbound via 13cabs app, homewards first cab off rank outside Peter Mac. Always pay by Amex.
Having said that, our family has Dhillon, a silver service cab that we use for travel from Port Melbourne to the airport and vice versa. We tell him our flight numbers inbound and he makes sure he's at the airport to meet us - he watches the arrivals and thus knows if we're running late. We've used him for past 6-7 years.
Mrs C often has to board the "dawn patrol" to SYD, he's always early for the 0520 pickup. Happy to pass on his number as well.

 

[albatross710]

What's the actual mechanism he used to skim your card? My understanding is you can't duplicate a credit card via paywave, only via the magnetic stripe.

I'm also inquisitive as to how a modern card can be physically skimmed. The later thread posts do talk about the skimming 'many years ago' when it was possible via the magnetic strip.

With the introduction of the encrypted chip on the cards, it's much harder to skim in that way or at least technology hasn't become cost effective yet.

Possibly he had another terminal in the car which the driver did a paywave as he did the legitimate transaction. Maybe the 'dispute' about the second charge for the extra dropoff was the time he loaded the other terminal. If it was indeed the taxi then surely the card system would be able to track it down easily as an increasing number of false transactions were coming from the same cards that had legitimate transactions from taxi p/l.

Glad it got caught.

As for Uber and online payments being perfect, please don't be too comfortable

Uber fined $148m for failing to notify drivers they had been hacked

Uber "absolutely" acted irresponsibly by asking the hackers to delete the 57 million user files and promise to keep quiet about the hack.

but of course, Uber drivers dont need credit card skimming when they have Surge pricing.

Uber and Lyft Drivers Are "Hacking" Surge Prices: Here's How They Do It


Hacking, skimming and good old overcharging have always been part of the global taxi game. they just have new methods.

 

[Saab34]

Good news on the touting front at Tulla. Bill has been passed and will be implemented within the next three weeks.

No more crooks hanging down the escalators at T4 or the Virgin baggage claim area unless they want a $10k fine.

 

[jb747]

That is what I always thought, but according to Westpac, lastest method can copy by tapping (a reader on back of the apple pay or credit card machine) copies the NFC signal. Either way wont be taking a taxi again.

Given that Westpac is pretty much the last major anti Apple Pay holdout amongst the Australian banks, I'm not sure that I'd consider any comments they make about it to be anything other than self serving.

Apple Pay uses tokenization. A device account number is given to each card. Then a dynamic CCV code is generated per transaction. The token is useless without the CCV for the transaction.

 

[suze2000]

Yep Silver Service at standard taxi rates

Is this really true as my workplace give taxi vouchers, and I would not like to get into trouble for ordering an expensive taxi.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Oh it be true - but I have NFI if vouchers affect pricing at all - we always deal direct and pay be AMEX - call Jimmy and ask him

 

[Lynda2475]

I loathe anything apple (I find their products not user friendly) and fact I have to use an iphone for work is torture for me, so wont comment on accuracy of apple pay statements (as I never ever plan to use it) other than to clarify Westpac lady said the skimmer/clone device is usually attached to the apple pay device or credit card unit - so wouldnt go through any of their validation.

All I know is last 2 melbourne taxis have resulted in subsequent credit card fraud and have cemented my decision not to take a taxi unless there are no alternatives available and I can pay for it in cash. The how they did it is less of an issue than the fact that they did get the card details and make fraudulent purchases.

 

[UP4014]

Cash is king. For me anyway.

 

[Lynda2475]

Cash is king. For me anyway.

I pay everything i can on a points earning card! Cash s a hassle for me.

 

[jakeseven7]

I loathe anything apple (I find their products not user friendly) and fact I have to use an iphone for work is torture for me, so wont comment on accuracy of apple pay statements (as I never ever plan to use it) other than to clarify Westpac lady said the skimmer/clone device is usually attached to the apple pay device or credit card unit - so wouldnt go through any of their validation.

All I know is last 2 melbourne taxis have resulted in subsequent credit card fraud and have cemented my decision not to take a taxi unless there are no alternatives available and I can pay for it in cash. The how they did it is less of an issue than the fact that they did get the card details and make fraudulent purchases.

With respect, that technically doesn't make any sense whatsoever re: Apple Pay (the lines Westpac are spinning you are rubbish - as others have pointed out they are getting slammed by consumers as being the only bank without Apple Pay in AU now - so are creatively answering questions I suspect....).

But I agree with your sentiment in general re: Taxis

 

[Lynda2475]

The first card cloned was a CBA Coporate Mastercard Card, the second was a Westpac personal mastercard - so i dont think the bank matters. When CBA called me abot the first fraud they said to me straight away that looking at the purchases they belive the Taxi was the culprit (they didnt say how), and that card was also tapped not swiped so no idea how they did it, only that they did it.

 

[andye]

Cash is king. For me anyway.

Heresy. You'll be telling me you fly direct next