New credit card scam hits Kelowna

Kelly Hayes - Castanet  May 8, 2012 / 10:48 am
It's called RFID technology, indicated by the fancy stamp on your credit or debit card. Radio Frequency Identification Device was designed to combat  fraud, however it has opened the doors to a new type of high tech crime, electronic pick pocketing, which has been highlighted in the US, but is relatively new to Canada. The old swipe style debit or credit cards don't have the new RFID technology, but the ones that do, leave people vulnerable to theft, by allowing a signal to be picked up by a receiver. A receiver can pick a signal without having to touch the victim or their card, it sounds like a sophisticated electronic hacking device, but that is not the case.  According to Paul Lenz of Spy Vs Spy in Kelowna, a cell phone can become a receiver if programmed with the proper app. You just hold the cell phone next to the card holder's pocket and you can get the credit card number. Cst. Kris Clark says RCMP in Kelowna are now putting out a warning, and advising consumers to protect themselves from electronic pick pocketers by getting a metal sleeve for credit and debit cards. "The metal sleeve prevents the transmission, so you can't capture that information from a RFID reader." The metal sleeves can be purchased at Spy Vs Spy, a commercial and residential security company that has partnered with the Kelowna Crime Prevention Association to help protect Okanagan residents from situations like fraud. The cards are three for $10, allowing for one card per sleeve, and the company is located at 1850 Kirschner Road.