RFID Fraud

I often see Lori Leland on HSN selling RFID blocking cards that you put in your wallet or purse and it will supposedly “protect” you from identity theft. During her presentation, she will hold up a credit card and point to the little chip in the card calling it an RFID chip and she will claim that the RFID chip will broadcast your personal information out to anyone with a scanner app on their smartphone.

It really bothers me when such misinformation is being put upon us. Yes, more and more credit cards are being issued with that little chip embeded in them. But that chip is NOT an RFID chip. It is called an EMV chip. Furthermore, it will NOT broadcast any personal information such as your name, address, or credit card number. The EMV chip will generate a unique transaction code every time you insert your card into the point of sale card reader. Once that code is used, it cannot be used again, so it would be worthless to a thief. This is what makes the chip enabled card more secure.

RFID blocking technology is unnecessary and will do nothing to “protect” you because the EMV card is not susceptible to the electronic pickpocketing that Lori claims. The only RFID fraud being committed here is by the salespeople who try to scare people into buying something that they don’t really need.