RFID and Security

 

Destroyed credit.

Unfortunately, the number of ways this can happen keeps increasing as new technology is introduced into our lives.

The RFID chips in the credit, debit, and ATM cards that we carry in our wallets put us at risk of having our information stolen.

These Radio Frequency Identification chips are designed to make our lives easier  - no contact and transactions are processed much quicker.

The chips need a reader to capture the needed information to complete the transactions.

When we use our cards with trusted merchants, we can be assured our info is encrypted and safe with their readers.

But these readers are fairly inexpensive and when placed in the wrong hands, that's where the trouble begins.

Nefarious individuals have been known to place these readers over the trusted merchant's machines to capture our info.

We can be make ourselves aware of these instances if we pay attention, but it's the unknown lifting of our information that we need to prevent.

The pickpocket no longer needs to physically remove the wallet from the pocket these days.

He just needs to pass a reader by a wallet to capture all the credit card info he needs from the RFID chip on the cards.

Social distancing these days will help with people getting too close to do this, and there are a few other ways to block the readers from accessing the card info.

The cards can be wrapped in foil as the metal will shield them from the signals of the reader.

An RFID blocking wallet is also an option.

Wrapping your hand around the card also blocks the reader signal.

Not having the chip on your card is the most secure way to protect it.

It's hard to keep aware of everything when we're out and about in his fast paced world, so each little thing we do to protect ourselves in advance will certainly save some big headaches in the future.