A recent investigative piece in the UK by The Sun newspaper found a website on the dark web that was selling over 1 million stolen card and bank details of customers primarily from the US and UK. The investigation dealt with just one website of the thousands that can be found on the dark web and revealed the tip of the iceberg in terms of the extent of the problem with identity theft and banking fraud provoking calls for better protection against RFID theft.
Whilst identity theft has been a rising crime ever since the internet became the largest growing market for people to shop, the issue has now moved into a whole new league of crime with the introduction of contactless payment and RF identification.
RFID stand for Radio Frequency Identification and is used by credit card companies whose card allows you to pay for goods without the need for inserting your card into a reader and entering your PIN. To achieve this ‘contactless’ payment the credit card sends out a radio wave frequency signal that the reader in the shop can identify and read your personal information. The problem is that the credit card is permanently send out the signal 24/7 and criminals with the right equipment can pick up you details in the same way that a shop would by just passing you on the high street.
With your card information stolen, the criminal just needs to copy the information onto the magnetic strip if a blank card and, ‘hey presto’, they have a fully functioning card with the stolen information’s identity. This stolen card will act in just the same way as the original making any sophisticated encryption useless. There is no difference in the stolen card than the original. It is the same as if you had handed your card to the criminal and said, “There you go, use my card!”
How Do You Protect Your Identity?
One of the best ways of protecting your credit cards and thus your identity from theft by criminals is by keeping them in an RFID Blocking Wallet. The wallets are made with a wire mesh integrated into the fabric to create what is known as a Faraday Cage. The Faraday Cage effectively blocks the radio signals from your credit cards from being ‘read’ by criminals with RF reader equipment when you are out on the high street.
A spokesperson for RFID blocking wallet manufacturer Hugh B Hamilton said, “People are not yet currently aware of the dangers involved with RF technology. Contactless payment card are still relatively new and the public doesn’t yet understand the technology being used to facilitate this new form of payment is potentially putting their personal information at risk from being stolen by criminal gangs.
As a specialist company we like to think we are ahead of the curve and are doing as much as we can to educate and get the message out there so people have the information and can then decide if they want to enhance their protection with an RFID wallet. But more needs to be done to provide protection for RFID technology”
Hugh B Hamilton manufacture and supply a RFID blocking wallet for men in a stylish all leather design in black exclusively for sale on Amazon USA. For a limited period of time the wallet can be purchased at a considerable discount to its RRP, (recommended retail price).
About:
Hugh B. Hamilton are a family firm of manufacturers and distributors of RFID blocking devices including the RFID blocking wallet for men, sold exclusively on Amazon (US) and eBay Australia.
For more information please see the contact details below or go to the website at http://hughbhamilton.com/
Media Contact
Company Name: Hugh B. Hamilton
Contact Person: Maureen Hamilton
Email: maureen@hughbhamilton.com
Phone: 1310 619 684
Address:91 Kyeema Crescent
City: Bald Hills
State: Queensland
Country: Australia
Website: http://hughbhamilton.com