Beware - e-pick pockets could ’skim’ your credit cards for money!

WASHINGTON - Forget regular pickpockets - thanks to technology now a new breed of scams is about to take flight - it’s called e-pick pocketing.

E-pick pocketing lets thieves secretly scan a back pocket or purse to read information off credit card equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology).

A recent incident at Memphis showed how. In the report, a man using a card reader and netbook was able to walk up to several people and engage in credit card “skimming,” as it’s called. He picked up credit card numbers, names and expiration dates for random passersby, none of whom he actually touched.

However, according to Snopes, the tool doesn’t let the thief steal the CVV number, reports the Discovery News. And because this credit card scam doesn’t steal the actual card, just the information on the card, it’s useless if it can’t be used at an e-retailer like Amazon.

The American government, however, has known about it for years. That’s why many government employees have to wear a special “jacket” for their government IDs. And there are security sleeves you can purchase, like these from Identity Strong, which prevents card readers from getting the information encoded in RFID chips. (ANI)