RFID: Is It a Good Thing?
The controversy surrounding the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in credit cards has been going strong for years. Proponents of the technology point out that, through the use of one-time virtual transaction numbers, heavy encryption, and sales that don’t require the card holder to hand their credit card to another person, RFID offers many layers of security.
Detractors insist that anyone with the appropriate scanner can read RFID card information from a distance. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts even found a way to skim credit card numbers and expiration dates in plain text.
If you’ve received a credit card with an unwanted RFID chip, getting rid of it is rather anticlimactic: simply call your credit card company and request that they replace the card with an older version. If you like the chip but want to thwart remote card skimmers, try lining your wallet with tin foil. It sounds comical, but it’s been proven to work.
