Introducing SecureMyID from Checks Unlimited

SecureMyID™ Wallets and Accessories

Checks Unlimited has come out with a line of wallets and accessories that feature specialized RFID blocking materials. The new SecureMyID products from Checks Unlimited will help stop scanners from accessing credit card information.

Background

Your credit cards are vulnerable to theft every time you take them out of your home and use them at a store, restaurant or other business.  But there is a new type of credit card and identity theft that a large portion of the population is unaware of. It is called electronic pick pocketing and current statistics estimate nearly 140 million consumers are at risk.

Credit card issuers have been installing radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in credit cards for years.  This chip is basically an electronic tag embedded in the card that carries all the card’s information.  If your credit or debit card has a radio wave symbol on it then you are at risk.  This same technology is also found in drivers licenses and passports, and there’s even a version of it in your pet’s ear.  In fact, every U.S. passport issued since 2006 has a RFID chip in it. This has put a whole new spin on identity theft.

Although this technology is convenient if you're paying for gas, the tiny RFID chip can be read remotely without the need to physically swipe the card.  This means anyone with a skimmer (available for less than $100 on EBay) can also get your information just by walking by you.  It doesn't matter if your cards are in a wallet or purse because the skimmers can read through them. Thousands of travelers and consumers can fall victim to this new form of theft without even knowing it.  It’s not just travelers and consumers who are at risk, but anyone with government, military or even port of entry ID’s.  This is definitely a threat and because the chips are cheap (about $1.50 each), this technology is going to be become more and more commonplace.