Manchester, NH -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/16/2016 -- The RFID technology is widely used in many credit cards nowadays. It is thought to be extremely helpful against crimes such as identity theft. There are many things about this technology that consumers should know about.
Experts reveal the truth about RFID chips and credit card thieves. The RFID-enabled credit cards do have certain security risks. There are card skimming devices that work by reading information from afar.
According to companies such as the American Express and Chase, the RFID chips have an encryption strong enough to protect information. The chips are designed to send one-time, unique codes for every transaction.
Tom O'Donnell, Chase senior vice president, reveals that the combination of switched-on readers, unique tokens, and transaction processing is like tumblers in a lock.
Recently, a team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts was able to create scanners that can skim both the name and card number of the card holder from various first-generation RFID credit cards. The team has successfully found a method to transmit data to the card reader, and thus, trick it into accepting a purchase.
Assistant professor Kevin Fu was the one who worked on the project. He stated that many cards that are supposedly encrypted sent expiration dates, card numbers, and cardholder names in plain text. All these details can actually be accessed through the envelopes used when the cards were mailed.
The good news is that the risks are low. It is believed that in most cases, conventional skimming crimes take place when customers lose their cards or let business staffs take a hold of them. There have been store or restaurant waiters and cashiers who were prosecuted for identity theft.
Fu, however, added that RFID-enabled cards have unique vulnerability. They can be read anytime and anywhere. There were even many customers who had no idea they were skimmed.
There are many things that consumers can do to increase their protection against thieves. They need to remember that skimming devices can be bought cheaply nowadays, and thus, anyone can commit the crime and make them a prey.
Credit card owners may use a set of RFID blocking sleeves, which work by shielding cards from card skimming devices. These sleeves can be placed inside wallets, and can protect credit and debit cards at all times.
Individuals who want to take advantage of the protective benefits these sleeves can offer may purchase them at amazon.com. (amazon.com/rfid-sleeves-for-credit-cards/dp/B0150T0AI2)
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