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 (EMAILWIRE.COM, June 07, 2013 ) Grass Valley, California -- More and more credit cards are are being put out with a chip embedded in them which makes them wireless; also called contact-less. It also makes them vulnerable to a super stealthy form of pickpocketing.
Wireless credit cards can be read by RFID scanners, without ever touching the card. And a crook can get a scanner for about $50; a scanner that will collect data through your wallet or purse, through your pocket, even through your hand.
Forbes magazine, in January of 2012, ran an article written by Alan Greenberg, in which he reports on a talk and demonstration given by Kristin Paget, well-known security researcher for the consultancy Recursion Ventures, at a Shmoocon conference which had an audience of hundreds of hackers and security researchers.
Paget demonstrated how, even from a few feet away, the perpetrator can read all the data needed to make a fraudulent transaction off that card, and do it invisibly through a wallet, purse, or pocket.
It may be some time before the card holder knows someone else is using his card.
It is common these days to pay bills on line, often automatically right from a bank account. Do people using this service check their statements at least each month. For some, probably not.
Many banks call their patrons if something very different from the normal purchasing pattern occurs on a card. But, small purchases, even made daily, might not raise a red flag. It is conceivable quite a bill could be raised before anyone realizes what is happening. Is the bank going to believe those were not the purchases of the card holder, when he/she still has the card in hand?
So what can be done about it?
Perhaps the simplest solution, Paget advises, is to kill your card's RFID chip by frying it in the microwave. But that's a more delicate task than it might seem. "Three seconds in the microwave will kill the chip," she says. "Five seconds will set it on fire."
RFID shielding wallets are currently available. They simply shield cards or passports with a layer of aluminum or steel. Wylins - Products for Living will soon bring out an Aluminum Credit Card Case (see picture) that is designed to appeal more to the ladies. .
Even though the security industry has known since 2006 that contact-less credit cards can be read without the owner's knowledge, little has been done to discourage their production. People are advised to protect their cards as the contact-less, wireless, credit card will soon be commonplace.
About Wylins
The Wylins Company promotes products for living. It is their goal to have every item from Wyllns be sensible and useful, such as the wireless credit card cases, never gimmicky or faddish.
Wylins
Carolyn Collins
(714) 309-1116
media@wylins.com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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