ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst say they’ve uncovered a loophole that can allow thieves to make transactions on expired credit cards.
While you usually can’t use a credit card to make transactions after its expiration date, your line of credit still exists.
“If the attacker finds the card, then the attacker can revive it into making live transactions,” explained Taqi Raza, Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst.
In a video they released to demonstrate how they conducted their study, they first show a tap-to-pay card reader declining a transaction from an expired card. Then they show how they used smartphones and software, called a man-in-the-middle (MitM) relay system, and a transaction was approved. They say the second phone takes the credit card information, but rewrites the expiration date.
“What we find is that the expired credit cards can be brought to life, and these expired credit cards can be used to make transactions in the store. And we have found that it can be used in a variety of stores, from coffee shops to grocery stores and other merchants,” said Raza.
The researchers say they also found that the expiration date for the digital certificate in the card’s chip can sometimes be years longer than the expiration date on the card.
“And we discovered that these two dates do not match each other,” said Raza.
First Alert 4 asked Visa and MasterCard about the report. We’re waiting to hear back.
The researchers say not all credit cards were impacted by the loophole, and they say digital wallets had security measures to make them more resilient.
To protect your line of credit, the researchers say their findings underscore the need to cut up or shred expired cards, including the account number, the magnetized strip, and the digital chip embedded in the card.
Always check your bank statements for any unauthorized transactions.
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