What is card skimming? How card details get copied, and how to stay safe
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
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.
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.
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.
Where SendPay fits
SendPay platforms let you issue branded Visa cards to your customers, at 20p per virtual card and £4 per physical card before shipping, with accounts powered by licensed partners.
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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. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.