Swipe-card shoppers warned

"The nature of paywave cards does mean they are more susceptible to being used fraudulently if stolen," Scott Cooper said.

Contact-less credit cards are easy pickings for thieves at busy time of year.

Swipe-happy Christmas shoppers are being warned to stay vigilant against contact-less card thieves.

Police expect a spike in the thefts of contact-less cards - such as payWave or PayPass - this month as more people hit the shops.

The cards can be easy pickings for thieves as they don't need a pin to make purchases up to $80.

A man stole several cards from Hamilton staff members' handbags and used them to buy goods throughout the city.

Waikato prevention manager Inspector Kent Holdsworth said police were investigating. Officers were logging more than one complaint a day involving fraudulent use of contact-less cards, he said.

"I guess moving forward to Christmas our concern is that it may increase."

Auckland City Detective Senior Sergeant Iain Chapman said it was "the season" for cards to be nabbed.

"It's an unfortunate fact but with the increase in spending we're going to see an increase in crime, opportunistic crime especially."

Wellington District prevention manager Scott Cooper said officers were aware of contact-less card theft occurring throughout the region.

"The nature of paywave cards does mean they are more susceptible to being used fraudulently if stolen," he said.

Christmas shoppers needed to stay alert, Consumer NZ researcher Jessica Wilson said.

The organisation was not pushing banks to lower the $80 purchase cap but said consumers should have a choice of whether they want a contact-less card in the first place.

None of the banks spoken to by the Herald on Sunday were considering ramping up security features or temporarily decreasing the $80 spending limit.

Banking ombudsman Nicola Sladden said that was reasonable because no fraud disputes had been lodged in the past 18 months.

New Zealand Bankers' Association chief executive Kirk Hope said criminals targeted shoppers around Christmas. "Fraudsters know we are often distracted at this time of year and will look for any opportunity to take advantage of peoples' busy lives and increase in social activities."