Holiday crowds create opportunity for ‘ghost tapping’ credit card scams

December 15, 2025 – Published on FOX13 Salt Lake City

While there are several reasons you don’t want to be Ebenezer Scrooge this Christmas, consider this reason: no one wants a visit from any ghosts, whether they’re from Christmas past, present or future.

That’s why you’ll want to look out for one of the latest scams: ghost tapping.

Ghost tapping is a form of contactless fraud where someone attempts to initiate a “tap-to-pay” transaction without your approval.

“They sign up to become a merchant with false information and they get a device capable of tap and pay and they just bump into you and steal your money,” said Brian Ledbetter with GuidePoint Security. “If they can get within, say, four centimeters of your payment card, they can charge your credit card as a merchant.”

Ledbetter says this usually happens in high-traffic areas, like a farmer’s market or festival. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen in more intimate settings, but the more people around, the greater the risk.

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