Contactless payment scams surge globally, Kaspersky reports

Kaspersky's cybersecurity solutions blocked over 35,600 attacks on Android smartphones in the first four months of 2026, a 188% rise from just over 12,300 in the same period in 2025. These attacks use various malware families, including SuperCard X, PhantomCard, NGate, and several variants of NFCGate, a legitimate tool repurposed for fraud. While some markets were initially hit hard, the threat now affects many regions, including Europe, Latin America, and countries with widespread contactless payments.

Experts identify two main methods. "Direct NFC" involves tricking victims, via fraudulent messages or calls, into installing an app disguised as a banking service. Users are then prompted to place their bank card near their smartphone and enter their PIN, allowing cybercriminals to steal payment information.

The more recent and sophisticated "reverse NFC" method involves victims setting a malicious app as their default contactless payment method. This manipulation allows fraudsters to divert transactions and convince targets to make deposits into a supposed "secure account," with funds actually going directly to the cybercriminals. Sergey Golovanov, a Kaspersky cybersecurity expert, notes that reverse NFC attacks are becoming more frequent and pose a greater risk because victims perform the financial operations themselves, making fraudulent transactions harder t