Tap-to-pay charity scam can cost you thousands

Tap to pay has become one of my favorite modern conveniences.

I use it all the time.

In fact, I rarely need to pull out a physical wallet anymore because contactless payments are accepted in so many places.

There's a security advantage , too.

Mobile wallets can use tokenization or virtual card numbers, so your actual card number does not need to pass directly to a merchant during a transaction.

That makes what's happening with a tap-to-pay charity scam especially frustrating.

Criminals are taking a technology designed to make paying easier and using a moment of distraction to turn a small donation into a potentially massive charge.

You may think you're giving $5 or $20 to a good cause.

Then you check your account and discover hundreds or even thousands of dollars are gone.

Here's how the scam works and what you can do to protect your money.

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