AirDrop does not allow you to steal your bank cards

AirDrop does not allow a thief to sneakily retrieve banking information from the Cards app, contrary to a rumor spread by TikTokers in order to get easy views.

Content creators are spreading alarming rumors about AirDrop. Since an iOS update (probably iOS 18.1), the_journey76, Vanessa Romito and probably others are advising their subscribers and iPhone users to disable AirDrop. They claim that scammers can steal credit cards stored in the Cards app for Apple Pay, simply by walking past their victims.

A completely bogus rumor

Once in possession of this information, thieves can make payments and siphon money from accounts. This is all false. AirDrop allows you to share a document or photo between Apple devices, but certainly not bank cards.

Information from the Maps app, stored on the user’s device, is encrypted in a secure enclave. Without authentication, it is impossible to exploit them. Additionally, cards saved in the app only display the last four digits; and you must identify yourself to make a payment.

The AirDrop settings include three options: sharing with only known contacts (those saved in the Contacts app), sharing with anyone (this is deactivated after 10 minutes), or sharing with no one. You may want to completely disable AirDrop sharing, but bank card theft is not one of the reasons why you would want to do without this otherwise very practical function.

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This false information recycles another, which dates back almost a year ago to the day. Since iOS 17.1, it is in fact possible to share your contact card with another iPhone, thanks to AirDrop. Some had claimed that this Name Drop feature would allow thieves to collect personal information simply by passing by. But before you can send anything, you must authorize sharing: here too, it is therefore a fake news.