Protecting Your Identity

[WaltandLynne]

You have probably all heard about the newest way to have your identity stolen. Thieves can use electronic instruments to read many of the newer credit cards without ever touching them or even seeing them. They can, in fact, be many feet away from you. This applies to credit cards, debit cards and even some passports. From what I understand, the cards that are susceptible to this are the newer ones and have a symbol that looks like a radio wave - curved lines that start small and get larger. I suspect that more and more of them will have this technology as time goes by.

Through another group to which I belong, I learned of Rogue Wallets. They are probably not the only suppliers that are getting into this. However, they sell special wallets that block the radio waves needed to read the cards. If you don't want their style wallet (they only sell front pocket, bifold wallets at this point) or don't want to buy a new wallet, they also sell inserts to go into bifold wallets as well as sleeves to fit over cards that can be used for any style wallet. They also sell passport covers.

Here is their website:
http://www.roguewallet.com/shop.html

I just thought you might want to know about them.

Best - Lynne

[Art-n-Marge]

Thanks for posting this. I have tried to find something like this to no avail (not using the right keywords, mostly). I have been reading about the latest theft of information using electronic means but I have not been able to find products that safeguard this.

Last week I was reading on an Internet news service that there is an electronic pair of devices where a partner goes into a store and uses a transmitter that causes your electronic keyfob to transmit the code to unlock your vehicle. This device then retransmits the signal to a partner in the parking lot, whose device then transmits the "learned" code and listens for whichever vehicle gets unlocked. If you are shopping then you'll never know these thieves are now in your vehicle to steal it, or rob it until you are finally done and return to find the robbery or no car. Apparently the devices are becoming more and more available and less expensive since they are so simple.

The article also mentioned the worse case is that the thieves can canvas your neighborhood and use these devices around your home as you sleep, if the devices can transmit strong enough, they get your key fob to respond, then they can open your vehicles that are parked nearby.

Did anyone else see this? Does this story sound feasible or real?

The big negative for this is that since the doors were electronically unlocked it is very difficult to investigate with minimal prints, method of theft and things like that. At the end of this story the author suggested using a protector to keep your key fob codes from being intercepted with an RFID protector of some kind, but they didn't provide any examples or sources of these.

Electronic key fobs are prevalent and with wireless means of stealing information, with this link at least we can protect wallets, but what about key fobs?

Can anyone provide product information to prevent some of this? The fact this wallets have RFID protection is great, but I didn't see anything for key fobs.

Thanks for posting this Lynne. It's a start!

[mhs4771]

I understand about the cards, but for the most part your key fobs are de-engerized until you push a button, either lock, unlock, or start. I don't see how they can activate it, I'm not saying it can't be done, but I have serious doubts. But of course now all the car thiefs that saw that will be trying to figure out how to do it.

[Art-n-Marge]

Which is why I have doubts on this story and hope someone can educate me about how this is possible. I didn't think key fobs could receive but instead, only transmit just like you describe, so what would be the reasoning behind a device that "requests" a key fob to transmit its unlock code? The request would have to be read. I could see intercepting a key fob transmit and have seen viable stories about that kind of theft, but this one has me puzzled.

This story was last week and I wish I could have saved the link now that this post was made to get some forum input.

I'm still happy to hear about the protective wallets in that link provided by Lynne. That solves a known problem with "reader" devices for credit card magnetic strips. My driver's license has a mag strip and so do many of my membership cards.

[BB_TX]

Here is Snoope's take on it.
Possible, but apparently not all that easy and not a widespread problem.

[Ren]

Ive been using these guys products for quite some time. I like the sleves... so you dont have to buy the whole wallet for protection.

http://www.idstronghold.com/

[richfaa]

Just my opinion but with the technology available and with a dedicated and knowledgeable thief there is no way completely protect your identity. Having said that we are members of " Lifelock" and they seem to do a good job of being a watchdog.

[Ren]

Life lock used to be alot better before the banks made them unable to place a credit watch on your behalf.

We have them as well. Better safe then sorry I guess.

[Waynem]

Ah! A subject that I know "a little" about. Several years ago, and I do realize that technology changes, I did a presentation at NASA, JSC on Identity Theft. Rather than me ad lib my take, go to the FTC GOV and in their search pane type in the words "identity theft" without the quotes. You will have a lot of good information to read.

As for those chips embedded in the credit card, they are for proximity readers. Actually most proximity readers for a CC need to be within inches, sometimes two or less, to activate. However, you do not need to utilize the swipeless capability of such a card. You can still swipe the card in the reader and it will process the transaction. So, if I receive a CC with an embedded chip, I place it on a hard object, like my vise in th garage or a cement floor, and smack it a couple times with a hammer. This renders the chip useless, but not the card as a whole because you can still swipe it in the reader.

So if you are paranoid, and apparently I am, de-chip it with a hammer.

Do go to the FTC.GOV web site and read up about prevention of ID Theft.

Happy trails.

[racerjoe]

I like the hammer idea!! but even so, my dw had me order 2 sleeves for her protection!? My son came home telling her how they could read her info from her purse and of course paranoia set in. so to keep things calm I ordered the sleeves.. What a good husband I am.... Now if I could get my son to pay for them. :-)

[doofus]

I heard you can pop those doodads with a hammer and render them useless. I have a friend who uses a nail set and disables them with a surgical strike.

We use Lifelock, too; so far the only person they've "caught" is me, but I'm glad they're always looking!

[CamillaMichael]

I would like to see a company sell "thief detectors" and issue a baseball bat along with the detector to use on the detected thief...yes, I despise these scum who are out there stealing from us.