IMPORTANT there has been a sighting of a potential RFID reading device near a drive thru window of a local establishment in town. This device is no longer at this location, and at this time an investigation is underway, but we are asking that the local business community be notified of the threat of possible RFID reading devices that scammers are known to use to steal credit card and other personal information. There is no need for panic at this time, but it is important that we share this information with the public and businesses alike so that we can be smart to the lengths that criminals will go to make quick cash and remain vigilant of such threats to our personal information. (In the legal world RFID devices are used for many things such as the debit machines we use to make our everyday payments with our bank cards).
I have attached a photo similar to the one that was observed in town earlier this week and I am asking that you pass this information along to the local businesses so they can be vigilant to such devices as they can be used for criminals to obtain personal information about clients and their financial details.
Below is some general information I found on the internet of RFID devices and how they work:
A RFID (radio frequency identification): is a form of wireless communication that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the enectromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal or person.
An RFID system consists of three components: a scanning antenna, a transcever and a transponder.
The transponder is in the RFID tag itself. The read range for RFID tags varies based on many factors.
There are two types of tags:
Active RFID – tag has its own power source, often a battery.
Passive RFID – tag receives its power from the reading antenna, whose electromagnetic wave induces a current in the RFID tag’s antenna.
Common uese for RFID applications: access control, retail sales and tap-and-go credit card payments, amongst others.
RFID security and privacy
A common RFID security or privacy concern is that RFID tag data can be read by anyone with a compatible reader. Tags can often be read after an item leaves a store or supply chain. They can also be read without a user’s knowledge using unauthorized readers, and if a tag has a unique serial number, it can be associated to a consumer. While a privacy concern for individuals, in military or medical settings this can be a national security concern or life-or-death matter.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, a media release will be made to the public hopefully early next week to bring awareness to such devices.
