How safe are RFID cards?

[niffer5150]

Frankly, I'd be more concerned about swipe card scanners at ATMs and store checkouts than RFID.

THIS. people are being paranoid because they don't understand the technology. if i was a thief which do i choose? A. trying to somehow discreetly follow people around touching their butts and backpacks with a electronic reader that won't give me any actual information i can use, while i try to not have anyone in a crowded area notice i'm touching peoples butts with something (if it's not ultra crowded then it's even weirder for me to be all up on someones personal space) OR B. install a skimmer on an atm when no ones around, go home and watch tv, then return later when no one is there, to collect my skimmer and quickly leave, with a REAL card number and information i can actually use instead of just a disney reference number.

i've had a rfid chip in my debit card for YEARS and the only time my numbers been stolen, it was cloned and that has nothing to do with rfid.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

 

[Jennasis]

 

[disnut8]

RFID is the new wave and there will be thefts of information. You can live in fear of everything or just go with the flow and relax and live your life. I choose the latter.

I go on vacation to get away from worries, not to worry more.

 

[Ali]

So, I could make a cute little RFID protection pouch with pink duct tape and aluminum foil? These would make really cool gifts for teenagers to make because they love duct tape!

 

[Axel]

I spent four months abroad in France where most everything is RFID. In light of the recent switch at Disney, I asked some of my French friends what they thought about the security of their cards and all of them said they were never concerned about it.

That said, neither am I!

 

[seashoreCM]

The RFID card is as safe as its purveyor (here, Disney) wants to make it. If Disney says that it is not responsible for unauthorized transactions then you would prefer to have the room key (KTTW) set up with no charging privileges and you use your regular credit card.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

(OT) My impression is that Paypal (which some brick and mortar stores accept nowadays) is not that safe. If you have difficulty with a seller, your ability to get your money back seems to depend on Paypal's success in charging back the seller. Now, for those folks who fund their Paypal account with a credit card, it is sometimes possible to raise a dispute with the credit card company. Should your credit card company find in your favor and also Paypal is unable to charge back the seller, your Paypal account will be closed with some fanfare (you could say fireworks). From the other side, if you are a Paypal (or eBay) seller and the buyer finds an issue with your merchandise, Paypal will almost always find in the buyer's favor if the buyer got his credit card company involved.

 

[Wendy Darling CA]

have you ever used your RFID credit cards? If so you will know just how close the card needs to be to the reader for it to work. Basically for a woman the reader needs to get into your purse and for a man it needs to be touching your butt. I suppose its easier than physically stealing the card but very little risk none the less

As a recent victim of this crime - I beg to differ. I just had every card in my wallet used for a two hour period in one shopping center by same person. Luckily one of my credit cards alerted me and I checked the others and all had stops put on them. She was using two Visas and an American Express of mine and purchased over $1400 in goods before cards were stopped. She tried another $1200 worth that were declined after the stop. She even tried to use all 3 cards at exactly 2:42 p.m. at one location and after all three were declined she stopped trying. I physically had each card in my wallet, so an RFID reader was the only explanation for all of my cards being reproduced by same person. The only card in my wallet not used was my credit union debit card, which the bank informed me did not have the chip (neither does the CA Driver's License, but some states due so be ware). I know no one reached into my purse, so they simpley had to bump me or be behind me in line to get close enough to my purse to do it. Please BE WARE!!!!

 

[Wendy Darling CA]

I think you all are waaaay too paranoid. We have had credit card info stolen, no big deal. Call the credit card company and have them remove the charges, takes 10 minutes. In one of our cases, we didnt even know our card was cloned until the credit card company noticed that we had used the same card in 2 truck washes in Arizona and Virginia 20 minutes apart and called and told us! We must have been really booking to get our imaginary big rig across the country in that amount of time!

We loved the RFID last week!

I'm sorry, but why is that no big deal - because the credit cards pick up the tab?? I don't think that makes it right or funny for people to steal. This just happended to be and I plan to follow through with my police report and prosecute if possible. Our credit cards rates go up because thieves get stuff for free - nothing funny about that!

 

[seashoreCM]

As a recent victim of this crime - !!!!

The merchants in that mall were probably victims too. Every time a merchant does not take a card imprint and signature from the customer, it takes the chance that a chargeback for whatever reason (stolen card, etc.) may occur and it has no defense.

What could a merchant be out? A tankful of gasoline from Mobil or Hess? Coupl'a bags of groceries from Winn Dixie? Several pieces of lingerie from Victoria Secrets? A sport jacket or pant suit from Macy's? An iPad from the Apple Store?

 

[mousermerf]

Just a thought for those worried about Disney switching to RFID..

Even though it is just a reference number used by Disney (which should be your first sigh of relief) remember that the majority wont even have charging privileges. APs, day guests, and resort guests who opt out of room charging wont have that active on their cards but the cards will be broadcasting and receiving just the same.

The thief would need to install a "skimmer" to even get halfway relevant data. Otherwise they're getting reference numbers for APs. What are they supposed to do with that? "Use up" an AP's admits?

It's really a situation with no positive return unless a thief is very dedicated. It's not worth it.

 

[Wendy Darling CA]

The merchants in that mall were probably victims too. Every time a merchant does not take a card imprint and signature from the customer, it takes the chance that a chargeback for whatever reason (stolen card, etc.) may occur and it has no defense.

What could a merchant be out? A tankful of gasoline from Mobil or Hess? Coupl'a bags of groceries from Winn Dixie? Several pieces of lingerie from Victoria Secrets? A sport jacket or pant suit from Macy's? An iPad from the Apple Store?

On my credit card one charge was over $400 at Toys R Us and the other was $500 at a Ralphs supermarket. That seems like a pretty big loss to me, but regardless, I am shocked at the indifference to that fact that is is still a crime - why try to justify it with - oh the credit card companies pay it or the merchants can afford it? Right is right and wrong is wrong and stealing (from anyone) is wrong!

 

[snykymom]

I think you all are waaaay too paranoid.

There's a difference between paranoid and uninformed. I don't understand the technology, which is why I asked the question. Now that I have the answer, I am not worried. That's not paranoia.

And remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you!

 

[JimmyV]

I think you all are waaaay too paranoid. We have had credit card info stolen, no big deal. Call the credit card company and have them remove the charges, takes 10 minutes.

Sorry, but I don't agree with this at all. First of all, if your credit card is compromised, it is not merely a matter of calling them up and having your charges washed away. The first thing that the CC company is going to do is immediately cancel that card and issue you a new one. Not a bad option if you are at home, but a lousy thing to happen when you are away from home on vacation.

Second, keep in mind that we are not talking about your CC being stolen. We are talking about your Disney-issued doo-hicky being stolen. There is no reason to believe that your CC card company is going to care about the unauthorized use of your Disney room key any more than your CC company would care about the theft of cash. If it wasn't your CC that was stolen, then why would your credit company give you any relief? They are not the insurer of all of your financial transactions. As long as PIN codes are not needed for purchases under $50, I would feel very uneasy about the use of this new system. Not because the system can be compromised electronically. But because the system's weakest link in the chain is the human error of loss, misplacement or physical theft. If you reach for a FP and your room key drops to the ground, don't count on anyone coming to your rescue for the multitude of <$50 purchases that can be made in the next hour or so. While CC companies have very sophisticated computer systems that can ferret out fraud in an instant, even for miniscule purchases, (such as the car wash scenario), WDW employs no such system, and has given us these very disturbing words of caution:

We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of RF Devices. If your RF Device is lost or stolen, contact Guest Services at 407-WDISNEY (407-934-7639).

To equate this new system with the systems employed by CC companies is naive and risky. And remember. With the law of big numbers, even small number are big. If one-tenth of 1% of guests lose their RFID device each day, that could still be 100 people per day.

 

[2012bella13]

So, I could make a cute little RFID protection pouch with pink duct tape and aluminum foil? These would make really cool gifts for teenagers to make because they love duct tape!

I like this idea!!

I just seen pink & zebra stripped duct tape the other day, I think I buy some for my trip to DW.