Thursday, May 7, 2015

Electronic Pickpocketing

How Do We Protect Ourselves From High-Tech Hackers?
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 72.1 percent of American consumers in the United States owned at least 1 credit card in 2012. Modern thieves can purchase powerful scanners for less than $100 that can wirelessly retrieve your credit card information from up to 25 feet away! If you’re not scared yet, for just $300 more, they can buy a device that replicates your credit card.


How Does it Work?
Modern credit cards come equipped with a RFIC (Radio-Frequency Identification Chip) that can be scanned at restaurants such as McDonald’s. Through a process called “skimming", hackers utilize a powerful scanner that can intercept these radio frequencies alarmingly easily. These criminals typically lurk in densely populated areas like malls or parades where they can drain your funds undetected.

How Do We Protect Ourselves?
Protecting your vital credit card information may be simpler than you thought. You can shield your credit cards radio frequency by simply wrapping your card in aluminum foil or purchasing an aluminum wallet for around $15 at any CVS store. A small expense for a great defense against new age criminals.

Popular Chipped Credit Cards: 
Visa Pay Wave,
Mastercard PayPass, 
American Express PayPass,
and Discover Zip

                                          
    









                                                 

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