So I’ve been reading horror stories on the Intertubes about hackers stealing money by scanning your credit cards just by walking by you.
Do you own an RFID blocking wallet like the ridge? Worth getting?
“tap” requires VERY close contact. When you see hackers demoing it at range, it’s because they’ve modded the credit card in some way.
“tap” barely works properly even when the card is close to the reader – how many times have you had to move it closer, etc?
If you have a bunch of cards with RFID in your wallet, it’s practically impossible to have just one respond to a tap request. Try it sometime. Take two cards and tap them on the reader at the same time.
If you have an iOS device, consider using apple pay instead of using credit / debit tap. It generates a different number for each transaction, so no worries about your stuff being stolen.
Finally, for credit cards, if you see a transaction you didn’t make, they’ll always reverse it for you.
Personally, the bigger problem is using your credit card in shady places. Much bigger problem in the USA than here, though. Because in Canada, we usually don’t let people take our card away to run it, unlike in the USA.
Thanks for the detailed reply, MiG! That’s encouraging! Like you I mostly pay everything with Apple Pay with my iPhone. I really like doing that instead of digging out my credit card.
Cops warned seniors here about that 10 years ago. Some of them even bought those things. Then several subsequently fell for Tony From Windows calling on the phone.
Much simpler to watch out for a 4 eyed geek lugging a 28db grid antenna and pointing it at people’s asses.