THE tap-and-go system you use to pay for your morning coffee may not be as secure as you think.

The system saves seconds each time you buy something, allowing a scanner to quickly authorise the transaction without keying in a PIN, but police now want to change the way it works.

The Herald Sun revealed since the technology was installed, the number of deception offences has skyrocketed. In Victoria alone, there have been 1000 more offences every month and police say cards with PayPass or PayWave are just as valuable to thieves as cash.

Bank cards can be scanned using the tap-and-go system for any purchase under $100, as many times as you like, but police told the Herald Sun they wanted to put a limit on how many times customers could pay for goods without keying in their PIN.

Victoria Police Superintendent Pat Boyle told the Herald Sun there needed to be more strategies in place so it wasn’t so easy for people to steal using the tap-and-go system.

“It’s a fantastic product but it could have better security,” he said.

Customers have voiced concerns about the tap-and-go system since it was installed in 2009. A Facebook page, Stop Forcing People into PayPass or PayWave, has even been created in protest.

A survey conducted by consumer organisation Choice found a quarter of people would have rejected the technology if they had the option.

“Since the introduction of radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips on credit cards with near field communication (NFC) technology, there’s been increasing concern about security,” Choice reports.

In 2012, computer security expert Kristin Paget showed how simple it was to rip a credit card number, expiry date and CCV number from a bank card using the RFID chip.

Police previously warned tap-and-go technology gave thieves a new opportunity to steal money.

Detective Sergeant Natasha Leaman of Tasmania Police told The Mercury an elderly man had his card stolen and didn’t realise for five days. By time he did, the thief had used the cards numerous times at stores with the tap-and-go system.

Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just said while tap-and-go increased payment options for customers they weren’t given the option to opt out. Australian Bankers’ Association chief executive Steven Munchenberg said tap-and-go meant customers no longer had to hand their cards over to the cashier.

Police told the Herald Sun most bank cards were stolen from cars and by time people became aware, it was too late.

The number of thefts from cars is almost 50 per cent higher than it was in 2012 and police believe thieves are searching for bank cards.