Can ETC cards in cars be stolen and swiped?

[LaNatalie]

If the ETC card inserted is a regular bank card with ETC functionality, there is a possibility of unauthorized swiping. 1. Currently, there are three types of ETC cards: The first type is the single-purpose ETC card issued earlier by the transportation industry, which has ceased to be issued. The second type is a debit card jointly issued by the transportation industry and banks, where customers hold a single-purpose ETC card and a bank card. The third type is a co-branded card jointly issued by the transportation industry and banks, integrating ETC functionality into a regular bank card. 2. The first two types of cards do not pose any risk of unauthorized swiping. Only the third type of card, if it has UnionPay's "QuickPass" feature and has enabled the "No Password" and "No Signature" services, carries the risk of unauthorized swiping. However, simply notifying the issuing bank to disable the "No Password and No Signature" feature can prevent further unauthorized swiping. 3. In response to incidents of unauthorized swiping in some areas, the Ministry of Transport issued a notice urging ETC issuing service agencies and partner banks to immediately stop issuing "two-in-one" co-branded cards. If users genuinely require such cards, the "QuickPass" and "Small Amount No Signature No Password" services should be disabled by default upon issuance.

[JackLynn]

I also worried about ETC card skimming a couple of years ago. I specifically went to the bank to ask, and now this situation basically doesn’t happen. The new versions of ETC are dedicated cards with separate accounts, and they can’t be used for anything other than highway tolls. It’s the older ETC credit cards that posed some risk, but now banks have upgraded their technology, and small-amount contactless payments can be directly disabled in mobile banking. Just make sure not to park your car on the roadside overnight, and if you’re really concerned, wrap the card in aluminum foil for physical signal blocking—that’s the most reliable. With so many security cameras around nowadays, anyone trying to skim with a POS machine near your car window would be caught on camera within minutes. The key is that banks offer fraud reimbursement services. After using ETC for so many years, I’ve never heard of anyone around me getting skimmed.

[DiJanelle]

This depends on your ETC card type. If it's a single-purpose ETC card issued by the transportation industry, rest assured it can only be recognized and charged by specific devices at toll stations - there's no technical possibility of unauthorized transactions. However, if you're using an early version of bank-issued ETC co-branded credit cards, those did carry risks as they featured UnionPay QuickPass contactless payment. Nowadays banks have implemented improvements: either allowing users to disable small-amount contactless payments via apps, or adopting a separated design where the card and OBU device are detached (you can simply remove and store the card separately). I've kept an ETC card in my car for years using a dedicated account, with zero issues over three years. In case of suspicious transactions, immediate card cancellation is advised - banks typically have efficient compensation procedures.

[EmeryLee]

As a car repair shop owner who deals with dozens of vehicles daily, I can confidently say I've hardly ever encountered cases of ETC fraud. Modern ETC devices have multiple safeguards: firstly, the transaction range is limited to just a few centimeters - criminals would need to press right against your car window to operate; secondly, they require specialized frequency bands that ordinary POS machines can't read; most crucially, every transaction must match the license plate number - random scans simply won't process. When concerned customers ask, I advise a simple solution: choose a debit card instead of credit card during ETC application, so toll fees deduct directly from savings accounts, completely eliminating fraud risks. Today's standard ETC systems use dual-key encryption, offering even better security than mobile payments.