Electronic Pickpocketing is a very real problem.

In this report by KOMO 4 News in Seattle, it shows how easy it is to be electronically pick-pocketed. Now with the influx of new smartphones on the market that are Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled teamed with free apps anyone can now skim your credit cards and use them with ease. Credit Card Protection is needed now more than ever.

It seems even the card issuing companies like MasterCard are finally admitting (although with smoke and mirrors) there is an issue.

The official response by MasterCard

It’s aware of the situation…

The circumstances under which it can occur in the real world are extremely rare

We don’t consider this to be a serious threat to our cardholders.

Beth Kitchener
Mastercard Worldwide

Sounds a lot like a position from a company who has invested billions in the roll-out of this vulnerable technology and have accessed the risk (to them) not to their customers and that risk is acceptable.

It seems they have recently changed position, as not long ago they told us they have never heard of a case of electronic pickpocketing being reported.? Which in itself is rather strange as how are you to know you where ePickpocketted in the first place as no physical loss of cards, so who would know when and how it happened.

If your looking to protect yourself from this type of growing crime discover how ARMOURCARD protects your credit cards

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The Australian Newspaper runs a story on the new wave of electronic pickpocketing coming to a wallet near you.

In the weekend version of ‘The Australian’ newspaper (8.6.13), two reporters Adam Shand & Ben Westcott report on how electronic pickpocketing is now a real concern.

We applaud Adam, Ben and The Australian Newspaper for bringing this to the attention of the general public.

Now as we have reported in a previous ARMOURCARD blog post, there are now FREE apps that allow you to skim card data with your Near Field Enabled (NFC) smartphones. These include the Samsung Galaxy 3 or Galaxy 4, latest Windows phones and rumors are that the next generation of iPhone will also be NFC enabled. What that means to you and I is everyone with a smartphone potentially will be able to use that phone to electronically pickpocket your data without you even knowing it.

We did our own bench testing

At ARMOURCARD we don’t claim to be experts in hacking or skimming.? However we were able to download a range of apps that were capable of extracting card data and applied them to testing. We found that the apps were able to extract different data from a range of cards some even including the cardholders name . The point being that if a couple of novices could easily obtain the equipment and means to do this, what would a seasoned professional be capable of accomplishing? We were not comfortable with the ease at which our personal data could be compromised. ARMOURCARD provides the first electronic solution to this vulnerability.

What do the card issuers say:

In the article a spokes person for Visa, Judy Shaw, said that it was:

“technically possible to lift some details from its cards using NFC scanning technology”

In the article it was said that “the level of security was extremely high and contact-less payments were as safe as traditional cards”. Traditional cards do not have a history of being secure. The size of the fraud industry which has emerged from the lack of card security is living testament to this. Why else would financial institutions limit? transactions to under $100 if there was no cause for concern?? Does that sound secure to you?

If you are wanting to secure your identity today, then get ‘active RFID & NFC protection from ARMOURCARD.

Why risk your identity? Buy ARMOURCARD today!

To view the full article click on the image below.

Global privacy champion Dr Katherine Albrecht talks about the next wave of RFID crime.

Dr Katherine Albrecht has been the champion of outing the RFID industries plans to track every purchase and track you via RFID for over 10 years.

I have recently connected with Katherine and I am sending her an ARMOURCARD.

Hopefully once Katherine sees how effective our ‘Active RFID & NFC Protection’ technology is she will also say to her following that now there is an effective solution to the vulnerabilities surrounding this contact-less technology that is? in-use today and not just advise requesting a non RFID enabled card from your banks.

With ARMOURCARD’s technology, you actually get the best of both worlds.

Firstly, you get security from being skimmed this way as we jam RFID & NFC signals so no RFID reader can interrogate your cards,

Secondly, you get the convenience to use these contact-less payment terminals. We have incorporated a capacity switch on every ARMOURCARD which enables you to temporarily turn of ARMOURCARD’s jamming so you can still get the convenience of being able to use ‘tap&go’ payment terminals.

Find out more what makes ARMOURCARD the best solution here

If you are interested in Katherine’s book called ‘Spychips’ you can purchase it through Amazon here or through the Amazon widget located on the left side of the page.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID)  as a Spy tool of the future

A quick definition:

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of a wireless non-contact system that uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking.

Put simply think of RFID as like your FM radio waves, they can penetrate walls, clothes, doors etc etc, with the right RFID reader you can trigger the interrogation of the RFID tag within your credit cards, ePassports, enhanced driver licenses, library cards etc etc. So RFID as a spy tool was how it got started.

Hence why it took 6 years to discover it.

To discover more about how vulnerable you are with your RFID / NFC enabled cards / epassports etc go here

Buy ARMOURCARD now and get protected from this type of electronic spying

Sources: Spychips – a book written by Katherine Albrecht & Liz McIntyre which you can Buy SpyChips from Amazon now

It just got easier for criminals to read your RFID cards data with this FREE app.

A smartphone app, which allows the user to read RFID cards like credit card information through wallets and purses, is cause for concern amongst consumers that carry credit cards with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, according to experts.

The free app, available on the Samsung Galaxy S3 through the Google Play store, allows the phone to read the RFID chip on a credit card, picking up the cardholder’s name, credit card number and expiry date, according to a CBC investigation.

A quote from David Skillicorn, a professor at the school of computing at Queens University.

But there is nothing inherent in the technology that says it has to be within three to four inches if you turn the power up you can push it out to 10 or 15 feet,

That’s where the trouble starts because now you don?t have to be very close to the credit card or the passport in order to read the information on it.

The CBC investigation into the application revealed that credit card information could be read through wallets, pockets and purses using the phones near field communication (NFC) antenna. Theoretically, this means that someone using the app could gain access to your credit card information by just standing near you.

Read the full article on Canada’s Global News website

CBC – video report below.

Protect yourself today BUY ARMOURCARD NOW

Electronic Pickpockets – Will you even know you have been skimmed?

A recent report filed by Alyssa Reilly on the increase in electronic pickpockets. An interesting point made by the policeman is its extremely hard to know when this crime happens to you, as no physical contact is made for the crime to be perpetrated. This means no one really knows when or how.

As ARMOURCARD is new technology most of these stories only know of passive blocking means which can also be compromised. The word will get out that active RFID protection offered by ARMOURCARD’s patented technology is far superior to passive RFID blocking.

Why would you risk your data & identity being skimmed.

It’s time to take control, get active RFID protection with ARMOURCARD today!

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Protecting your Identity has never been more important

A great article by Adam Levin of IDT911 (Identity Theft 911) featured on US TV ABC-15 who puts forward some really good advice to protecting your Identity while your travelling. Although Adam is not aware yet of ARMOURCARD and its superior ‘Active RFID’ protection, there is still some great overall tips. Here is a summary of the tips and the interview.

• Watch out for Wi-Fi.
• Cut RFID risks.
  

  In newer passports (issued after 2006) and some credit cards, an embedded RFID (radio frequency identification) chip holds all your important information-exactly what identity thieves are after. Using a scanning device, thieves can access the information in the RFID chip without even getting their hands on your passport or cards.

• Beware Bluetooth.
• Protect personal information.

Before you go anywhere you should get ARMOURCARD in your wallet or purse.

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Get active RFID protection now!

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Australia – Police bust card fraud ring, taxi with credit card skimming
devices installed as a way of getting your card details

With all the flack taxi drivers have gotten over the last few years, like not knowing where to go to even major landmarks like “take me to the Sydney Opera House” and the driver doesn’t know where it is and has to ring someone for directions or perhaps can’t speak English well enough to understand.

Plus once the smell of body odour settles inside the cab, it’s the extortionate prices you get charged if your one of the lucky ones to get a cab late night in most major cities.

Now you have to be on the look-out for credit card skimming devices fitted to the payment terminals within a cab.

Find out the 10 best tips to protect your identity from theft here

The NSW police force arrested & charged a 37 year old Sydney man on Wednesday with more than 30 offences relating to fraud, money laundering and illegally dealing with identity information.

The officers from strike force Somersham also raided a Punchbowl home, in the cities south-west & seized blank cards, computer equipment and sheets of credit card numbers.

The police spokeswomen said…

stolen credit card information used to produce bogus cards resulted purchases totaling hundreds of thousands.

Police allege that the victims’ card details were stolen when paying for goods on devices fitted with card skimmers, including devices that have been fitted to taxis.

There is never more a time to be vigilant with protecting your personal identity from theft.

Buy ARMOURCARD today and start to take back control.