Mark Roberti Staff asked 1 year ago I am concerned about my credit card information being stolen via hackers using radio frequency identification. Which wallet is the best for blocking RFID signals?
—Amos
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Amos,
First, let me explain that RFID credit cards are safe, and that there is little reason to be concerned about someone stealing your credit card information with an RFID reader. To read the transponder in your credit card, a criminal would need to get within a few inches of your card with a reader.
That's not impossible, of course. But RFID-enabled credit cards are much more secure than mag-stripe cards. With a mag-stripe card, criminals could capture your information and create a card that worked exactly as your card does. An RFID card, on the other hand, has additional layers of security. Each time the card is used, a new digital CVV (the three- or four-digit number used to validate the card) is sent to the card. Thus, a cloned card would capture one CVV, it would be used once and then it could not be used again—unlike a cloned mag-stripe card, which can be used over and over.
We have not tested any RFID-blocking wallets, but they all should be able to block signals from an RFID reader trying to capture data from your card. Radio waves do not penetrate metal or anything metallic, so wrapping your credit card in foil wrap or Mylar would prevent anyone from reading your card. Any wallet with a metal liner would be sufficient to block any illicit reading of your cards.
Mark Roberti
Founder and Editor
RFID Journal
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