If You've Ever Tapped to Pay, You'll Want to Read This.
You’re in a hurry to check out at your local supermarket and you reach for your new credit card that allows wireless payment. With a quick wave or tap,
the payment is accepted and a receipt is spewed out.
It’s a combination of convenience, speed, and cool factor all wrapped into one. But have you ever thought about what information is available through your card, say, away from the securities of a traditional register?
These wireless cards contain devices with an embedded chip and a radio frequency (RFID) antenna that provides a wireless link with the contactless reader. When the card or device is tapped against the reader, information is transmitted within a fraction of a second. This same information transfer can and has been taken advantage of by criminals in busy areas such as subways, malls, busy streets or anywhere brief contact can be made.
Without any sort of protection of shield, your information may be available.
The extent of that information has been argued and depends on which specific card you may have, but it is clear that many earlier RFID cards are easier to access.
According to Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wireless identity theft is "a pretty serious issue" and "the contactless (wireless) card design is inherently flawed"
Many black market websites have become available to assist shady hackers in acquiring this personal information including what devices to make or use and how to do so. Many times information on credit cards is encrypted to initially not make any sense, but in recent years software programs have aided in the process if deciphering this information to be placed on a blank new credit card and abused.
In the event of wireless identity theft, many credit card issuers will have your back and reimburse any fraudulent charges, but many times these charges if small can go unnoticed.
To be sure your credit cards (and wireless access cards too) are blocked from fraudulent scanning there must be a physical barrier in place that blocks the flow of wireless information.
Our CarbonKlip wallet provides an aluminum shell in an ergonomic, stylish form factor, ensuring your information stays private in the event of an attack.
