Abstract: A fraud detector for protecting an electronic device, e.g. a payphone, operating with electronic cards (FC) or chip cards which are inserted in a channel (CH) thereof and thereby connected to the payphone via electric contact elements (C) generally located at the end of the channel. The fraud consists in connecting an external chip card simulator (SIM) to the contact elements (C) by means of fraudulent electric wires (W) inserted in the channel (CH). The fraud detector is an electro- magnetic device which has a first coil (T1) for inducing an AC current in the wires (I) connecting the payphone to the contact elements (C), and a second coil (T2) surrounding the channel (CH) and for detecting this generated current when it flows through the fraudulent wires (W). The presence of the wires (W) is thus detected owing to the current flowing therethrough.