RFID Pickpocketing

Solution for Electronic Pickpocketing

One of the first things that your parents taught you when you got your first credit card was keeping it safe from criminals. If they didn’t teach you this, you’ve probably heard a lot about it online or seen commercials about identity theft on television. The simple fact is that credit cards are vulnerable to theft every time you take them out of your home, or use them at a store, restaurant or any other types of businesses. The only way you can keep your credit cards from being stolen is to lock them away in a secure place and never take them out. Of course that defeats the purpose of even having a credit card. The risk of theft is always going to be there, so unless you plan on giving up your credit cards altogether, you are simply going to have to live with that risk.  

As if having your credit cards stolen was not even enough, there is a new type of credit card and identity theft that a large portion of the population is unaware of. It is called electronic pick pocketing and current statistics estimate nearly 140 million consumers are at risk. Credit card and debit card issuers have been installing radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in credit cards for years. This chip is basically an electronic tag embedded in the card that carries all of the card’s information. 

If your credit or debit card has a radio wave symbol on it, then you are one of the millions of people at risk for this type of identity theft. This same technology is also found in driver’s licenses and passports, and there might even a version of it in your pet’s ear.  As a matter fact, every U.S. passport issued since 2006 has a RFID chip in it. More recently cell phone manufacturers have been implanting these chips into cell phone and it is already in use in Europe, and it is quite popular. 

Although this technology is convenient if you're paying for gas, the tiny RFID chip can be read remotely without the need to physically swipe the card.  This means anyone with a skimmer, which is available for less than $100 online, can also get your information just by walking by you. It doesn't matter if your cards are in a wallet or purse because the skimmers can read through them. It is a scary thought and gives an entirely new meaning to high-tech identity theft.

Thousands of travelers and consumers can fall victim to this new form of theft without even knowing it. It’s not just travelers and consumers who are at risk, but anyone with government, military or even port of entry IDs. This is definitely a threat and because the chips are cheap, about $1.50 each, this technology is going to be become more and more commonplace. Granted that there haven’t been any reports of anyone having their identity stolen through these means, even if it has happened, you won’t find out until it is too late. 

So now that you’ve been informed of this potential new threat, what can you do about it? How can you protect your credit card and debit card information and keep yourself and your loved ones from possibly falling prey to electronic pickpocketing? Well, Checks Unlimited has come out with a line of wallets and accessories that feature specialized RFID blocking materials. The new SecureMyID products from Checks Unlimited will help stop scanners from accessing credit card and debit card information. These types of items are already being used by government officials to help protect their information. To learn more on protecting your information and those of your loved one, click here.