Montgomery County Officials Get Lessons In Fighting High-Tech ID Thefts
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (CBS) - Law enforcement officials were getting a lesson today from the FBI and a company in the business of fighting ID theft on how to investigate identity theft.
During this summit in Montgomery County, they were also hearing about an emerging technology that's enabling the equivalent of high-tech pickpocketing.
Carol Frederick, of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, says one of the newer types of identity theft involves the use of a machine called an RFID (radio frequency identification) reader, which can pull information from your credit card without even touching it.
She says a person with this machine would only have to be six to ten feet away to steal your information, even without putting a hand in your pocket.
"Let's just say you were going to a baseball game," she explains. "How many people did you bump up against as you walked up a ramp to go to your seat? How many people were near you when you were on line to get your popcorn?"
She says the credit cards at risk have three curved lines either on the front or back signifying WiFi capability.
Her advice: don't carry that type of card. Once the information is gathered by an unscrupulous person, it can be sold to others -- or new cards can be made using your identification.
Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060
