RFID: Is Your Wallet Giving Out Your Credit Card Info As You Walk Around Town!

Mark Herpel
November 22, 2006

The thieves no longer have to physically ‘pick your pocket’ to steal your wallet’s credit card and personal information. The new RFID technology used in the plastic cards (not all cards use RFID yet) may be transmitting that financial & personal info right now from your pocket or purse.

Millions of today’s new credit cards and IDs, including the new US Government’s e-passports are RFID.

As Wikipedia tells us: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is an object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Chip-based RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas.

RFID technology allows the cardholder to ‘pass’ his card over the reader within a centimeter or so and the transaction is paid. The personal information such as name & card number, is sent and received via radio frequency to the reader thus making any sales transaction much more convenient and super fast.

You know that great TV commercial…where they guy running the marathon takes half a second & passes his MasterCard over the store’s reader and with drink in hand runs out of the 7-11 back into first place of the NYC marathon? RFID cards are so fun, easy and fast to use :-)

Now the one thing they don’t tell you is that when you put that card back into your pants, wallet, thong or purse, it can still transmit your info!

Or maybe they do mention it in the small print but they don’t include it in the cool TV ad. Consequently, when you are taking the subway home or anywhere in close proximity with others, if you are close enough to any reader, including a home made portable one, they are also easily reading the same financial and personal information.

There is no ‘on/off’ switch for these cards.

Interesting isn’t it? A guy walks behind you on the subway car with a briefcase brushing close to your wallet and the next day is out shopping on your accounts.

Well I’m here today to tell you just how you can now protect yourself from this type of theft with the new datasafe™ wallets. The DataSafe leather RFID wallets - which include men and women wallet designs - uses a patent-pending shielding material – similar to that used in the U.S. State Department’s new E-Passports – to protect your personal information! These wallets feature beautiful leather, fine craftsmanship but most importantly up to FIFTEEN (15) Layers of RF Shielding Material!

No chance of that guy on the subway getting any information from this wallet or credit card. These leather wallets come in a variety of styles and colors.