RFID

Why doesn't Clever Travel Companion provide RFID-Blocking tech?

RFID is the latest craze in the security conscious industry and although it has its merits, a craze is exactly what it is. For those of you who don't know what RFID blocking technology is and why it exists, here's a quick explanation: some personal valuable items such as credit cards, ID cards and passports contain wireless technology that allows their unique information and ID to be read by certain devices such as ATM's, in-store card readers, government agency tech and so on... This also means that some undesirable people, let's call them "hacker's", can also read the data from these particular items wirelessly from a small distance. RFID-blocking technology such as wallets and purses, prevents this from happening, which is good of course! But is it really necessary?

RFID Blocking Wallet

Well to begin with, most credit cards, which are the biggest concern here, don't actually have RFID transmitters so they cannot be "hacked" anyway. In order to find out if yours does or not, ask yourself: "Am I able to pay for items in-store without putting my card into a chip+pin device or anything similar?" if the answer is no, then you do not need RFID blocking tech. Even cards with wireless payment technology are protected by chip+pin verification, so without knowing your pin, the hacker would not be able to use your card. Similarly, most people do not carry their passports everywhere with them and "hackers" main priority is not identity theft, it creates more risky work before producing a reward, so again, its not a huge concern. I've also yet to touch on the likelihood of you coming into contact with anyone who has the ability, equipment and motive to commit such a fraud, the likelihood is close to 0%, in fact there are no statistics recorded for any such a crime having taken place. Think about it: someone with that kind of expertise is not likely to be standing on a street corner, putting himself at risk for a few hundred dollars, waiting for his first victim. He is hacking Google, Sony, Yahoo, even the U.S. Government and all from the comfort of his own location.

That, combined with the exorbitant pricing of these now hugely popular RFID-Blocking wallets and purses is why you should be worrying about other things. Opportunists have exploited consumer fears over RFID but they've also blurred the lines between real risks and false paranoia. Pickpocketing, mugging, theft and assault are all very real, very common and very dangerous. Give me the choice between having someone steal my credit card wirelessly and someone attack me for it and I know what I'd choose.

Clever Travel Companion will always focus on the real concerns of travel safety on continue to develop our range to provide the highest level of security. Right now, we can't see that RFID blocking tech is desperately needed or required and until it becomes so, we'll keep the cost of it out of our prices.

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