Do you know that your credit or debit card information can be stolen without the thief laying a hand on your wallet, swiping your card, or tricking you into disclosing your card information? Yes it is possible because of the RFID technology that is now being used and embedded in credit and debit cards, to contactlessly or wirelessly read information from them. With a RFID reader that you can purchase online for a few dollars and a small laptop computer, tablet or a Smartphone, you can get close to people without touching them and read the information from their credit or debit cards, if their cards are using the RFID technology. Please see the video below for a demonstration.
What is RFID?
RFID stands for Radio-frequency identification, and is the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The technology is being used in debit and credit cards to make it easy to pay and go, but criminals can steal your credit or debit card information and use it to make purchases online without your knowledge.
How to Protect Yourself against RFID Technology Hacking or Skimming
If you want to know if you are at risk of Electronic Pickpocket Hacking or Skimming, please check your cards for the following RFID symbol:
The RFID symbol or icon indicates that your card has the RFID technology embedded in it.
Please watch the video below to see how your credit and debit information can be stolen if RFID technology is embedded in them, using a technique called Electronic Pickpocketing.
There are products like RFID Blocking wallets, sleeves and cases that you can place your cards in, that will prevent RFID readers from reading the information from them, by blocking the RFID radio frequency or waves.
You may use one of the major search engines to find these products and purchase them. Just search for "RFID Blocking Wallet".
RFID technology hacking or skimming is a cause for concern and it is important that you talk to your bank or credit card provider about it, if you have the technology embedded in your cards.
RFID chips are also embedded in Passports and Driver's licenses.