A warning about a new way to get your personal information

Posted by Charles Gazaway

October 30, 2008 LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Long gone are the days when criminals needed your actual credit card or social security card to steal your information. Now, they can get it with the wave of a wand.

WAVE 3 Troubleshooter Charla Young investigated the problem and reports her results of this unnerving, new technology. It is pretty scary. You know that little magnetic strip that's usually on the back of most credit cards will soon be a thing of the past.

The newest credit card technology allows you to just wave your card in front of a machine. The machine picks up the radio frequency containing your information. It is a very simple and quick way to make a purchase, but it also leaves you vulnerable to the newest form of identity theft called radio frequency skimming.

WAVE 3 News who talked to one man tells us he is a victim of this new rage. The man, who we will call John, says he was about to get onto a bus and to take his seat when a young fellow bumped into him. That little bump did not seem like a big deal at the time, but it was. John's information was zapped by the stranger and thousands of dollars went out with it. About $5,000 was charged from a card that had not left John's wallet for at least two years.

This is how it happens. With a small homemade skimming device, a criminal can walk past you and get your information. A small RFID (radio frequency identification) chip that is embedded in your credit card, your passport, or your luggage tag is broadcasting your personal information constantly. The RFID chip makes it easy to make purchases, but it also makes you an easy target.

Andrew Davis is an internet security specialist at the University of Louisville. He tells us how you can avoid becoming the next victim. The credit card industry dispersed 50-million of the RFID credit cards just in 2007, but Davis says you can request a standard card. Another option is the steel plated wallet. Experts tell WAVE 3 the steel plated wallet should be effective in blocking the signals because it actually prevents the device from being triggered. If the transfer from leather to metal is a bit extreme for you, a company online is advertising the "Armadillo Dollar." They say just by wrapping your card with the dollar, the radio frequency is blocked. As always, watch your debit card and credit card transactions carefully.

Davis says, "If you had a debit card, you really wouldn't want the RFID on your debit card cause then that would have full access to your bank account." Because John has a habit of checking his balances, he was able to challenge the transactions on his card. The next time someone bumps into him, John says he now knows that it may be much more than a chance experience. "For someone to take your stuff and not take anything from you, that's a whole new level of theft," says John.

For more information to protect yourself from identity theft, click on the highlighted link: Identity Theft Protection Guide.