Scammers are using an exploit to access myki payment cards and steal money from Victorian commuters, Public Transport Victoria (PTV) says.
PTV, which operates trains, trams and buses across the state using a payment system called myki, confirmed to the ABC that at least 14 people have had money taken out of their accounts by scammers.
Daniel Bowen from the Public Transport Users Association said scammers are able to exploit a vulnerability in the registration system.
PTV currently allows commuters to register their myki cards online or via phone using the 15-digit number printed on each card.
“A lot of people who use myki don’t register their cards, and it appears that this may leave them vulnerable to this scam,” Mr Bowen said.
“The scam appears to happen when scammers work out that cards are unregistered, and register it to their name and claim a refund.”
Mr Bowen said that registering a myki card appeared to prevent scammers from exploiting the loophole.
Only a few cases had been reported so far, but Mr Bowen urged the government to act before it became a wider-scale issue.
Trials are due to begin this year to allow debit and credit cards to be used on Victoria’s public transport, with the transition away from myki cards expected to take two years.
A July 2023 report revealed that a proposed trial to allow Victorian public transport users to tap on using a credit card or phone instead of a myki card was knocked back three years ago by the government.
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