They're still pretty popular because they work.' Your data could be on an underground market 'There's still a large amount of skimmers in circulation. That's entirely feasible – your card might not have been involved in a breach at all, but a skim,' says Leigh-Anne Galloway, head of commercial security research at Cyber R&D Lab. 'It's entirely possible that you've used your card at an ATM and there's been a skimmer that's read your card and someone has figured out how to clone your card and sold it online. These skimming attacks see criminals placing their own card-reading components on top of the real device, allowing them to not only see the card details contained within the mag stripe, but also able to see the PIN code – providing them with all the data they need to make payments and withdrawals – or collect that information to sell it.ĭownload this article as a PDF (free registration required). While it's possible to remotely install malware on cash machines – after all, they're mostly just Windows PCs and often old versions of Windows at that – physically tampering with the devices provides attackers with an even simpler means of stealing bank details. That makes it easier for us all to buy all manner of goods and services, but it also means that if crooks have the details they can use your account even if the physical card is safe in your pocket, because with online shopping, which only requires the input of credit card numbers, the card doesn't need to be present.Īnother common means of card information being stolen is directly from ATMs. SEE: Identity theft protection policy (TechRepublic Premium) Such is the increased popularity of using card payments – helped by online shopping and the ability to make contactless payments in stores – that it's overtaken cash as the most common form of payment in the UK, and the number of card payments is still growing.

According to the trade association UK Finance, total spending on credit and debit cards accounted for over £800 billion during 2018, with over 20 billion transactions over the course of the year. Now, there are over 51 million debit cardholders in the UK, accounting for 96% of adults, while over 32 million UK adults have a credit card.

Debit card number that works 2018