RFID Pickpocketing

Electronic ID Theft Can Happen to You

It may sound like something from a Sci-Fi movie, but RFID pickpocketing is no laughing matter. By now, everyone should know that their credit cards are vulnerable to theft every time you take them out of your home and use them at a store, restaurant or other business. In the past most people thought that by simply making sure that their wallets and purses were not stolen, they would be alright. Not anymore, 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 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 at risk.  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 of fact, every U.S. passport issued since 2006 has a RFID chip in it. Cell phones manufacturers have already begun to roll out phones with RFID chips implanted in them. If you are one of the many people who are at risk, this puts a whole new spin on identity theft.

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. 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 potential threat and because the chips are cheap, about $1.50 each, this technology is going to be become more and more commonplace.

As if we didn't already have enough things to worry about, we get a new identity theft threat that is virtually undetectable until it is too late. This is not to say that it will happen to you, the danger is there. Everyone with an RFID chip in their credit cards, debit cards, or driver's license, passport, or any other form of identification is at risk. Many people have the attitude that it's not going to happen to them. It is very likely that everyone who has ever been a victim of credit card fraud or some form of identity theft at one point thought the same...until it happened to them. In matters of identity theft, it is always better to err on the side of caution.

So, how can you protect your credit card and debit card information from this potential threat of electronic pickpocketing? 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 information. Government employees are already using similar technology to keep their information save from identity theft. Shouldn’t you be doing the same to protect your information?