Take my identity but not my money. While one’s identity is precious, we may have a hard time in this day and age protecting it. Money on the other hand can be protected a little more, especially when travelling. We have a friend who lost the entire savings from her credit card when someone scanned her wallet at the airport. She lost the $3,000 for her travels that was on her credit card. This was not just a violation of her finances but also a case of identity theft, though they didn’t seem to want her identity .. just her money.
RFID
RFID stands for radio-frequency identification and is basically a tracking device where data is stored… a chip, which contains all of your information. Your credit card and passport both have your personal data and data related to all of your accounts encrypted on it.
Much as RFID technology can be really helpful in getting through the supermarket quickly or using it to get into your office, bad people can also compromise it because the RFID chips emit radio frequencies, which can be scanned, recorded and saved by other devices used by highly unscrupulous people.
Take my identity but not my money
I heard the other day, that supermarkets can scan your phone as you walk through the doors, and they can also track what you normally buy. Have no idea how or why but it is just a further example that there are not a lot of ways to protect your identity. PS, I am getting low on milk, surely you know that Big Brother supermarket.
I think that anyone who uses a computer and is involved in any social media knows only too well that nothing is private anymore. If I am looking up a hotel in London, then suddenly all I see are side ads for the next few days are ads for London hotels, so I know that arguing that our personal identities are compromised is futile. We give away our information freely, and someone takes it gladly.
However, I do not want anyone touching my money. Take my identity and good luck to you, but leave my money alone. I think that most people feel a little protective of their money, travellers and non travellers alike. So yes, we both have an RFID blocking wallet to protect our savings and our passports. It’s worth thinking about our priorities.
What brand of RFID wallet do you use and how did you verify it actually blocks your information?
Sorry to hear about your friend, that must have been a very distressing time for them.
I must admit I would finding the chance to replace the money via insurance/banking claim or some form or other more tolerable. I’d be more fearful of what can happen if someone stole my identity. That could open up to long term money theft, a range of fraud incidents and who knows what else.
There was a recent scandal in the UK of a certain organisation (who should know better) stealing the identity of children who died at a young age.
As for supermarkets tracking what we buy, that has been happening for decades. It allows them to provide targeted marketing which is proven to be very successful.
As for tracking our every move. Google, Facebook and so just feel too powerful now.
I think I gave my entire identity away once I decided to have an internet foot print. Interesting isn’t though how much they actually know about what we look up and what we do.