Electromobility: Fraud at the charging station: Expert warns about invalid payment codes

2024-08-02 13:04:00

Charging stations for electric vehicles depend on different payment systems. These also include QR codes that you scan with your mobile phone and then pay for online. This is not completely harmless.

Charging electric cars is anything but a complicated process – there are different providers, different prices and, above all, different payment options. The most popular way of paying for electricity from a charging station is of course a charging card. But what if the charging station doesn’t accept them? Then all that’s left is a QR code that can be used to pay and start the process.

Cheaters know this too. Like the magazine “Motor vehicles and sports“Reportingly, more and more cases have become known throughout Europe in which the real codes of the providers are pasted on. Unsuspecting users are then lured into the trap with real fraud, but different codes. This is how it how it works: fraudulent QR codes at the charging station redirect to an automated website that looks like the portal of the relevant electricity supplier, then customers must enter their account or credit card details in order to start the charging process later, only an astonishingly high amount is charged The sum is debited from the account – and the money is gone.

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There is also an even more treacherous version of this scam, writes “Auto Motor Sport”. In some cases you notice that the payment page you enter after the QR code is the real supplier’s address. With one plus: Through clever editing, fraudsters are able to steal stored payment data. This gives the researchers a decisive advantage: the electric customer gets a working charging station, which significantly increases the time window for exploiting the incoming data. Because the column does not provide light after the flow process, many victims quickly become suspicious.

Electric vehicle drivers across Europe are at risk

IT security expert Eddy Willems explained to the specialist magazine: “Especially new electric car drivers who are not yet familiar with public charging stations are at risk.” He said he was aware of cases from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Willems advises, if possible, to scan the QR codes on the charging screens – because you can’t put them on. Charging station providers react in different ways, but it seems that there is a consensus: either you should carry the equipment of the companies, because they are better protected against manipulation, or use credit card readers on stations instead of paying through a browser.

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If there is only a sticker on the column, the “acid test” has proven to be a reliable test for the injured person who told his story to “Auto Motor Sport”. You feel with your fingernail whether there is another sticker under the sticker – this helps to reveal the fraudulent codes.