A man who describes himself as a computer security expert that claims payment cards with electronic chips can easily be scanned by an ID thief, according to KVOA-TV in Tucson, Ariz. The man, Walt Augustinowicz, who operates www.idstronghold.com,, claims that a card sleeve with a shielding material, which he markets, can protect RFID payment cards from being scanned by thieves. For the full story, click here.
Editor’s Insight: Vending operators need to be aware of this liability as they expand into cashless transactions, even though the problem extends to all uses of contactless payment cards.
This expert, Walt Augustinowicz, has been featured on national television, alerting consumers to identity and payment card theft. It’s interesting that this TV news story focuses on cashless vending to illustrate the potential for having electronic ID information scanned from a payment card by a hacking device. 10-28-11
