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What is card skimming? How card details get copied, and how to stay safe

By SendPay Business · · 2 min read

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Card skimming is when criminals secretly copy the details of a payment card so they can use them later. It can happen at a physical card reader or, increasingly, on a hacked online checkout page.

How skimming happens

  • A fake reader fitted over the card slot on a cash machine or petrol pump copies the magnetic stripe.
  • A hidden camera or a fake keypad records the PIN.
  • Online, malicious code added to a shop's checkout page sends card details to criminals as they are typed.
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Why chip and contactless help

Chip and contactless payments create a one-time code for each payment, so copying them doesn't give criminals a card they can reuse the way a copied magnetic stripe does. Card tokenisation, used by phone wallets, means the real card number isn't shared with the shop at all.

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Staying safe

Cover the keypad when typing your PIN, avoid readers that look loose or damaged, use contactless or a phone wallet where you can, and turn on payment alerts so you spot anything odd straight away. If you do, tell your card provider at once and freeze the card.

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Where SendPay fits

SendPay platforms let you issue branded Visa cards to your customers, with accounts powered by licensed partners.

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How it works

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SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.

Questions people ask

What is 3D Secure?

An extra check for online card payments.

What is 3D Secure? →
What is card tokenisation?

Swapping the card number for a token.

What is card tokenisation? →
How does contactless work?

A one-time code for every tap.

How contactless payments work →

Read next

Spotted a mistake or something out of date? and we'll fix it. How our guides are made

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. Other companies named in this guide are reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.