Q Talk

[handygal2]

Why is it that it seems that every show host who presents an RFID protection wallet has had an identity theft incident? It seems to be more than a coincidence. Just wondering...

ETA: I believe RFID blockers are not necessary unless you have a "wave-and-pay" type card. 

[mac116]

I agree with you. The identity theft claims sound like a scam themselves!  I think the scare tactics are meant to frighten the elderly into purchasing. Shameful!!

[Group 5 minus 1]

I think it is a sales tactic.

[wagirl]

I read somewhere that if you fashion a wallet out of duct tape lined with foil ;that will do a better job than the RFID items. Some really cute duct tape now days and way less expensive too.

[handygal2]

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@wagirl wrote:

I read somewhere that if you fashion a wallet out of duct tape lined with foil ;that will do a better job than the RFID items. Some really cute duct tape now days and way less expensive too.

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That's a creative idea. Also, I believe you can put the card in a homemade aluminum foil sleeve, inside your existing wallet, as well.

[justathought]

My daughter told me to wrap my wallet/cards in foil, works the same way the RFID wallets do. 

I have done that and hope it

 is true. It was on facebook.

The sellers make it seem that there is a person on every corner, in every store and bank ready to steal our card #.s.

Just have to be careful when you use your cards, common sense?

[andigrif]

It's not a scam it's a very real crime. I have a friend who works for Chase and the millions that are stolen with the cards is crazy. Right now the magnetic carrds are being stolen left and right because criminals know they are being phased out for the EMV (chip) cards. I just had a card number stolen this past week.

You only need the sleeves if you have a chip and pin card not one with a magnetic strip. The chips transmit a signal but the account number isn't encrypted (which is really dumb) so it makes the account numbers easy to steal. All credit cards need to have the EMV chip starting in October which is why companies are sending new cards out now.  The cards with the chips are harder to steal than magnetic strips, but due to them transmitting data can be stolen.  In all honesty the safest way to pay for something electronically right now is using Apple pay since they require a double encryption for any transaction

[NiteStar]

Up until a month ago, none of my credit cards had the RFID chip in them.  Now it seems all my cards are being replaced with this type.  Just in the last two weeks, I've received new cards from Discover, JC Penney Mastercard and Chase VISA with this new technology and telling me to destroy my old card as this card replaces it.  But I did get one piece of excellent advice from Discover.  If you use the type of wallet that has credit card slots, place the card in backwards so that the the "silver square" on the front of the card that carriers the chip, is facing the inside of your wallet.  Yes...it makes it harder to find which card you need snce the name of the card is not facing outward.  But that's a small price to pay to feel a little safer.

[nomless]

I've heard that tip about placing the card in backwards, but doesn't that mean you then have to be careful what direction your wallet is facing and way direction you're holding your purse?  Think about it....the card may be backwards in the wallet, but you can place the wallet in the bag such that the chip is still facing in the readable direction.  Right???

[ChynnaBlue]

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@handygal2 wrote:

Why is it that it seems that every show host who presents an RFID protection wallet has had an identity theft incident? It seems to be more than a coincidence. Just wondering...

ETA: I believe RFID blockers are not necessary unless you have a "wave-and-pay" type card. 

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They also need to stop confusing Identidy Theft with Credit Card Fraud. If someone steals your actual identity, it can be very difficult to clear up and take years and court battles to do it. If someone steals your credit card information, it can take literally minutes to clean up.

Credit card fraud happens way more often. I've had it happen twice and have had to get a new credit or debit card quite a few times over the last few years because it MIGHT have been compromise whenever a major business was hacked. Many of my friends have been victims of credit card fraud, but none have been victims of identify theft.

Frankly, the odds are higher than someone will get my credit card information from an online hack than from my wallet, especially since very few US cards even have RFID chips in them.