RFID Pickpocketing Protection

Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Imagine this scenario, you are walking down the street minding your own business and then all of the sudden a stranger walks by you and just like that your credit card or debit card information has been stolen. Here is the interesting part, the stranger never touched you. He or she never laid a finger on your wallet or purse, but they were still able to steal your information. You might ask how this could happen. Well, thanks to the miracle of technology this may have already happened to you or someone that you know. The sad part is that you if it did, or does actually happen, you won’t know until your account has already been accessed.

This may sound like something from a bad dream, but the technology that makes this type of scenario possible is available online for around $100 and it is called a skimmer. It should come to you as no surprise that every time you take your credit cards or debit cards out of your home it becomes at risk for theft. Every time that you use them to make a purchase, you are putting them at risk. That was before electronic pickpocketing became something to be concerned about.

What is electronic pickpocketing? It is a new form of credit card and identity theft that a large portion of the population is unaware of. The intention of this technology was to make shopping more convenient for people. It was meant to eliminate the need to swipe your card in order to make a transaction. 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.

This technology is convenient if you're paying for gas because the tiny RFID chip can be read remotely without the need to physically swipe the card. This also means that anyone with a skimmer 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 know about this potential new threat, you’re probably wondering if there is anything that can be done. You’re probably wondering how you 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. SecureMyID™ Wallets and Accessories