E-pick pockets could steal your credit cards info
Forget regular pickpockets thanks to technology now a new breed of scams is about to take flight it’s called e-pick pocketing.
E-pick pocketing lets thieves secretly scan a back pocket or purse to read information off credit card equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
A recent incident at Memphis, US, showed how. In the report, a man using a card reader and netbook was able to walk up to several people and engage in credit card “skimming,” as it’s called.
He picked up credit card numbers, names and expiration dates for random passersby, none of whom he actually touched.
However, according to Snopes, the tool doesn’t let the thief steal the CVV number, reports the Discovery News. And because this credit card scam doesn’t steal the actual card, just the information on the card, it’s useless if it can’t be used at an e-retailer like Amazon.
However, there are security sleeves that you can purchase which prevents card readers from getting the information encoded in the RFID chips.