OT - credit card upgrade question
 

On 4/9/2015 2:26 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:

Got a note today from one of my card providers. They will soon be
sending me upgrade, a card with RFID chip.

They say that the chip will provide a unique transaction ID number
for each purcahse, which will make fraud less likely.

I'm thinking about the various Youtube videos of guys walking around
malls with scanners, and harvesting CC numbers and personal data.

Should I destroy the FRFID and just use the magnetic swipe?

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus . www.lds.org . .


Are you sure the upgrade will be an RFID chip and not an EMV (Europay,
MasterCard and Visa) "pin and chip" type of chip - which requires
physical, electrical contact with the card reader? The EMV pin and chip
is much more common than the RFID chip, is used throughout Europe, and
has appeared on 3 of our U.S. issued credit cards during recent
update/upgrade cycles. EMV chip readers are being phased in in the
U.S., not RFID readers - which used to be in many of my local
supermarkets here in the D.C. metro area, but have since been replaced
by non-RFID card readers. EMV chips cannot be read by RFID sniffers.

I don't want and wouldn't use an RFID chip card because of the security
vulnerabilities. If your card will have an RFID chip, I'd check with
the issuing bank to see if they have a card with an EMV chip that will
meet your needs.