RFID Card Lock is an As Seen on TV sleeve that claims to feature frequency-blocking properties to prevent criminals from using skimmers to steal your credit card information in seconds, and even your identity, just by walking by.
In order to accomplish this, RFID Card Lock sleeves are claimed to feature special high-tech polymers woven directly into their threads, which work like an armored car and make it virtually impossible for anyone to steal your information, including your name, address, social security information, and more.
RFID Card Lock is claimed to be lightweight and soft, yet strong and secure, and to come is stylish leather or fun paisley patterns. In order to use CXJ RFID Card Lock, the manufacturer claims that you simply slide your credit card into the ultra-thin sleeve, and put it back in your wallet.
Credit cards can be replaced, but the immense amount of time and effort it takes to recover from ID fraud can’t. And when it comes down to it, you have much more important things to focus on, like your loved ones. So, can RFID Card Lock really help prevent credit card theft and ID fraud? Let’s break down the facts.
Can Criminals Really Use RFID Scanners to Steal Your Credit Card Data?
Have you ever been behind someone in line at a checkout, and watched them pay by waiving their credit card over a big chunk of plastic at the register? If so, this is known as a contactless payment system, which Wikipedia defines as , credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smartcards or other devices that use radio-frequency identification for making secure payments. The embedded chip and antenna enable consumers to wave their card or fob over a reader at the point of sale.
Because contactless cards transmit a small radio frequency when in close proximity with a payment device that emits the proper signal, this signal can intercepted by a criminal. How? According to a Consumer Reports video , all criminals have to do is place a card reader (essentially the same one you’d find near a cash register, although they’re often hand-built) in a bag, bring their bag within close proximity (often by accidentally” bumping into you), at which point their card reader will automatically obtain information from any of your RF-enabled cards. Then, they take this information, upload it into a computer, and produce counterfeit cards.
As such, RFID blocking sleeves like Card Lock will only protect the contactless cards you carry, not standard credit cards.
