Ever wonder how your employee access card or apartment key tag works to open doors? You can thank Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, which uses radio waves to identify your credentials every time you scan them.

　　RFID has been around since the 1970s, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This same technology is used in credit card chips to enable contactless paying (cha-ching!), as well as in passports.

　　However, there are risks involved — hackers can use this technology to steal data by using RFID readers, writers, and skimmers near people they come into close physical contact with. The best way to protect yourself from RFID-related identity theft is by investing in RFID-blocking products like wallets, backpacks, fanny packs, and even pant pockets.

　　“You are virtually walking around with your credit card information exposed in the open world if you do not use some sort of RFID blocker,” explains Joseph Schlossberg, VP of Global Sales at Sourcing Solutions International, which provides retail and apparel brands with RFID-blocking products. “As RFID becomes more and more popular today, people are gaining access to RFID readers and writers like never before, meaning more and more people will be capable of stealing your information,” he says.

　　What Is RFID Blocking?

　　“RFID blocking is when something is used to reduce the transmitted signal of the RFID chip to virtually make it impossible for a reader to catch the signal,” says Schlossberg. “It virtually eliminates the ability for the chip to be able to send out or receive any data.”

　　But how exactly do RFID products (like wallets) work to keep your credit card data safe from hackers? Most have an added metal element that acts as a buffer between your credit card and the outside world.

　　“The added metal buffer will block the electromagnetic signals from your card from leaving your wallet and being exposed,” says Schlossberg.

　　If you carry debit or credit cards, it may be a good idea to invest.

　　“I think anyone that walks around with a credit card or debit card that has a chip in it should be using an RFID blocker,” adds Schlossberg. “For instance, my TUMI wallet has an RFID blocker inside of it, and I did not even know that when I purchased the wallet. Everyone should be using this protection. It is such a simple thing that can save you some big-time trouble!”

　　To make sure a product you are interested in has RFID-blocking technology, be sure to read the product’s label and look for items branded as “anti-theft.”

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