I just got my first credit card that has the rfid chip in it. Call me paranoid, but I don't like carrying the thing around with me with the information on it easily stolen. Does any one have any suggestions on which of those rfid blocking sleeves I see advertised are better than another? Maybe I'll scrape the thing off with a razor blade.....
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Any experience with rfid card blockers?
- Thread starter 87GN
- Start date
tin foil won't work, it's an urban myth. you need to design a faraday cage that blocks the specific frequency of signal your card puts out. there are several frequencys in use, you need to figure out which one, and get a metal mesh sleeve made for that specific one, (like the mesh in the door or your microwave oven which is designed to block 2.45ghz)
LutzTD
Well-known member
next time you are at the bank, ask for a credit card sleeve. They will give you as many as you want. They work very well. I know this because my building security card is in my wallet so I used to kill my credit cards with the security reader. Since I started putting my credit cards in sleeves I have never had any issues with the strip being demagnetized.
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next time you are at the bank, ask for a credit card sleeve. They will give you as many as you want. They work very well. I know this because my building security card is in my wallet so I used to kill my credit cards with the security reader. Since I started putting my credit cards in sleeves I have never had any issues with the strip being demagnetized.
magnetic strip and rfid are not the same thing. you can't kill the rfid, you have to block it's ability to receive the radio wave that activates it inductively. unless the sleeve specifically states it is a faraday cage, it is just snake oil. lots of those products out there do not do what they advertise.
rlitman
Well-known member
tin foil won't work, it's an urban myth. you need to design a faraday cage that blocks the specific frequency of signal your card puts out. there are several frequencys in use, you need to figure out which one, and get a metal mesh sleeve made for that specific one, (like the mesh in the door or your microwave oven which is designed to block 2.45ghz)
Wrong! A faraday shield can have holes of a certain size, because that wavelength of EMF does not fit through smaller holes. We take advantage of this property in microwave doors, because light fits through the holes, but microwaves do not.
However, solid metal will block both just fine.
BUT if your new credit card has a pattern of gold plated contact points on it like a SIM or flash memory card, this is not RFID. It does not support contactless reading, and no shield is necessary.
ddawg16
Well-known member
Wrong! A faraday shield can have holes of a certain size, because that wavelength of EMF does not fit through smaller holes. We take advantage of this property in microwave doors, because light fits through the holes, but microwaves do not.
However, solid metal will block both just fine.
BUT if your new credit card has a pattern of gold plated contact points on it like a SIM or flash memory card, this is not RFID. It does not support contactless reading, and no shield is necessary.
Correct
One of the reasons for this new method is to prevent theft of data.
The older true RFID had what looked like a wireless symbol on it and you only needed to wave the card near a scanner.
These new cards require you to insert it into a reader. Much harder to steel info
Agree, Lots of commercials out there drumming up fear about RFID cards, but there are really very few issuers using that contactless card reader technology. All the new cards going out today require the card to be physical inserted into the card reader.
The only RFID card I have is my employee badge.
The only RFID card I have is my employee badge.
I don't get how these new cards are much safer until they remove the magnetic strip . You still can have your card skimmed as long as it is there. it appears many merchants and gas pumps will continue to use the old technology for the foreseeable future.
Wrong! A faraday shield can have holes of a certain size, because that wavelength of EMF does not fit through smaller holes. We take advantage of this property in microwave doors, because light fits through the holes, but microwaves do not.
However, solid metal will block both just fine.
BUT if your new credit card has a pattern of gold plated contact points on it like a SIM or flash memory card, this is not RFID. It does not support contactless reading, and no shield is necessary.
what part was wrong? I didn't say solid metal wouldn't work, (heck water would work), just that tin foil doesn't. you saying tin foil works to block the rfid frequency's?
rlitman
Well-known member
what part was wrong? I didn't say solid metal wouldn't work, (heck water would work), just that tin foil doesn't. you saying tin foil works to block the rfid frequency's?
Aluminum foil IS solid metal. Yes, it is a perfectly good faraday shield.
rlitman
Well-known member
I don't get how these new cards are much safer until they remove the magnetic strip . You still can have your card skimmed as long as it is there. it appears many merchants and gas pumps will continue to use the old technology for the foreseeable future.
Until this month, card companies have absorbed the cost of card fraud associated with skimmed cards. This has changed, and now, the merchant/processor who owns the strip reader is taking the responsibility unless they switch over to chip/dip terminals. The idea is to phase out strip readers, and eventually all card reads will be dipped (possibly requiring PIN entry while dipped) and no longer swiped.
Once the change is complete, the stripe may be done away with, but getting rid of it really won't be that important.
Bassfishing54
Active member
I like the RFID wallets. About 4 years ago my wife bought me one just to be more cautious, but the building at work has door access scanners. With my old wallet I could just put the wallet up to the scanner and the door would unlock, but with the RFID wallet I have to remove the card. I thought what a pain, but shortly after that a couple associates in the office attended a conference where they were showing off the scanners to show the importance or rfid sleeves and wallets. At the conference they were able to pull CC#s from people just walking by and after hearing about their experience had a lot of people looking at sleeves and wallets. To me the wallet was a better choice as I didn't have to keep track of the sleeve, I could just use the card slots in the wallet, as usual. Either way you need to one or the other.
rlitman
Well-known member
I like the RFID wallets...
Thankfully, I don't have anything RFID in my wallet. My access card at work hangs on a lanyard, and I'm not worried about anyone scanning it.
My passport (as all new US passports) does have RFID, and I purchased an RFID blocking passport carrier for it at the same time I renewed it.
Aluminum foil IS solid metal. Yes, it is a perfectly good faraday shield.
http://www.omniscienceisbliss.org/rfid.html
tac
Well-known member
tin foil won't work, it's an urban myth. you need to design a faraday cage that blocks the specific frequency of signal your card puts out. there are several frequencys in use, you need to figure out which one, and get a metal mesh sleeve made for that specific one, (like the mesh in the door or your microwave oven which is designed to block 2.45ghz)
Why do you think it's a myth? Faraday out of aluminum foil is as good or better than mesh as long as it surrounds the object.
rlitman
Well-known member
Oh yeah, a quality source of serious scientific research that is <cough>.