NFC Expert Composition of the shielding case
At the base of the cover there is a specialized metal layer that completely blocks the action of radio waves and prevents the exchange of card information with the receiver using a contactless operation scheme (protection of PayPass, payWave cards)
A matte (glossy) film has been applied to the image on the outside, as well as on the inside of the case. It protects the seal from mechanical influences, humidity; helps to maintain the original appearance.
The slits on the top (bottom) of the card make it easy to remove the card from the case.
Our technology for the manufacture of shielding covers allows you to quickly produce print runs from 1 copy in terms of 1 working day with variable data printing.
Finished cases are packaged in a perforated transparent film tape for easy removal and separation from each other.
Making a duplicate of a SIM card
Since when paying for services worth up to 1,000 rubles, a bank card with contactless payment does not require a PIN code, hence the simplest and most obvious way to steal money from it is using a POS terminal. If its reading chip is at a distance of several centimeters from the card transmitter, then money can be easily debited from it without the participation of the owner.
Unlike a regular card, a contactless payment card has a microchip and an antenna that work on RFID technology. They contact and “respond” to the signal of a radio transmitter built into a special terminal, which allows you to pay only by touching. The signal is quite weak, and therefore the receiver and transmitter must be at a distance of several centimeters from each other, which makes such types of payments at first glance quite safe.
But there is reliable evidence that scammers actively use this method in trains, subways, and other crowded places where it becomes possible to get close to a person without arousing any suspicion. Having a POS-terminal, a fraudster can make one raid, “taking away” up to 1000 rubles inclusive from one plastic, and leave with a catch of several thousand (or several tens of thousands).
However, despite the apparent simplicity, the solution to this problem is not always available. First, the RFID chip is quite problematic to count. In order for the card and the terminal to interact with each other, it is necessary to bring them closer to a distance of several centimeters (if we are talking only about the POS terminal). But if other methods of data theft are used, then the amplification of the receiving antenna allows you to read the necessary information already up to 1 m, and if you have certain software, even the accuracy of contactless cards will not save.
In addition, the option of a banal deception in a store, restaurant or bar is more than likely. Especially if you decide to show unnecessary trust, and the card ends up in the hands of an unscrupulous seller or waiter. The disappearance of a small amount from the account may not even be noticed or noticed immediately. It will be impossible to return the money stolen in this way – no matter how you later appeal to the bank.
In addition to protection at the physical level – the need for close positioning of the card and the terminal – there is also protection at the cryptographic level. The fact is that a bank card does not have a permanent CVV code. With each payment transaction, it is generated randomly. Therefore, in itself, reading the data does not give the fraudster anything, except for the opportunity to make a transaction in the amount of up to 1,000 rubles (or in another currency, in accordance with the restrictions set by banks) once.
Today, with the help of special equipment, fraudsters have learned to read a randomly generated CVV code and use it before the cardholder does it. In this case, the funds are debited from the victim’s account, and the owner receives information about the error on the next attempt to pay for the purchase. In this case, the card can even be blocked, which will create certain difficulties.
But losing, for example, 800 rubles is also a nuisance. Especially if the fraudster manages to perform several similar operations. By the way, this is also far from always possible, since many banks today use protection against multiple withdrawals of small amounts that do not require confirmation by a pin code.
Separately, it is worth talking about this method of fraud, which at first glance does not directly relate to finances. But after all, cards for many users are tied to the phone number today. Having a copy of the SIM card, fraudsters will be able to make transactions without the owner even knowing about them, as well as make payments and withdraw cash in cases where an SMS confirmation is required for the operation.
The scheme of fraud is quite simple – the cardholder, whose passport details are known, is called and dropped or sent an SMS with a request to call back. In order not to arouse suspicion, fraudsters usually introduce themselves as employees of a bank, a pension fund, and various government organizations. Next, the attackers contact the service center of the telecom operator with a request to reissue the SIM card. To do this, you need to name the owner’s passport data, the time and numbers of the last calls made, sometimes – to top up the account.
Such calls and account replenishment are the first sign that virtual scammers are trying to rob you. Usually, after that, the number is blocked, and the money from the account is withdrawn to other cards or electronic wallets. In this case, you need to act as quickly as possible:
- Block all plastic cards linked to the number by contacting the bank.
- Call the operator with a request to block a duplicate SIM card.
- Write a statement to law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the general recommendations that can be used for not only contactless, but also ordinary cards, there are ways to physically protect them. You can try to block the transmission of data using RFID technology using a thin layer of metal. It can be food foil or baking foil. The main thing is that it be completely metallized – the inner shell will not protect against a pack of cigarettes.
EMI shielding technology is based on the simple principle of a Michael Faraday cage, and not all metal shields are able to successfully block scanner antennas from reading.
Another shielding method can be recommended. Carry multiple contactless cards together in one wallet compartment. It is better if these are credit cards of different banks and types, operating at different frequencies, or non-payment cards, for example, transport ones. When trying to read information with a scanner, the device will receive a response from different chips, which greatly complicates the receipt and decoding of information. But this method will work only in the case of contact terminals, and special software and antenna-enhanced “grabbers” can easily bypass it.
Carrying a card wrapped in foil or a large number of credit cards together is quite inconvenient. After all, then the main advantages of a contactless payment method are lost – its speed. A sheet of foil or thin shielding metal can be placed in the pockets of a purse or wallet to cover both sides of the card.
In order to agree with the management or with your customer, it often becomes necessary to manufacture a signal sample. We offer printing of a protective cover for a bank card according to an individual design as part of a corporate order.
For information on how to make a screening case sample with your brand, click on the link: ORDERING A SHIELDING CASE SAMPLE
- Case design development
- Production of plastic cases according to individual sizes
- Printing the inside of cases
- Matte or glossy lamination
- Forming almost any holes and slots on the case in any place
- Holographic effects and textures on cases
- Installation of eyelets for use with the retractor
Vulnerability of contactless payment cards
If your bank plastic card can make a payment with one touch, then an experienced hacker can also steal money quickly. Pay attention to your card, if there is an icon on it, then you need protection.
Our shielding case:
- prevents unauthorized bank transfers of funds that do not require a PIN code (up to 1000 rubles)
- protective case for PayPass, Visa payWave cards
- RFID protection against reading the number and expiration date of the card for further creation of a copy of the card
- does not allow attackers to get the history of transactions on the card
- creates a protective shield against interaction with other contactless cards nearby
How is data stolen?
Radio Frequency IDentification technology uses a radio frequency of 13.56 MHz, which exchanges payment and identification information between the card chip and the terminal transmitter. Some payment systems use other communication standards, but the essence of the process does not change from this. Physical protection allows you to save your money when using a standard terminal, because data exchange is possible only at a distance of a few centimeters. But what if we use more powerful (and at the same time compact) transmitters?
Such scanners that work on RFID technology and are able to “interrogate” contactless cards at a distance of up to 80 cm already exist. Not so long ago, a similar device was demonstrated by British researchers from the University of Surrey, who are actively working to combat fraud in this area. If you use the device instead of a POS-terminal, then you can easily “write off” from the accounts of contactless card holders amounts below the established limit (1000 rubles in Russia, $25 in the USA, 30 pounds in the UK, etc.).
In this case, the exact alignment of the receiver-transmitter and the chip with the antenna is no longer required, it is enough that they are at a distance of up to 80 cm from each other. Since the signal from the scanner is stronger than from the terminal, the interference from keys and mobile phones next to the card will practically not matter.
Hackers went even further, offering an original way to steal funds without using sophisticated scanning equipment. Since the smartphone and the owner’s card are often nearby, it is possible to use the phone’s NFC module as a repeater that transmits the victim’s payment data to the scammer.
As soon as the smartphone is next to the card and identifies its chip, it “connects” with the scammers via the Internet. An attacker activates a POS terminal at his disposal and makes a payment using his phone with a specially installed application instead of a credit card. In this case, the cardholder’s smartphone acts as a kind of bridge or repeater.
Of course, such technologies for stealing information and money are quite complex and are still of rather theoretical interest. After all, a credit card with a contactless chip has other levels of protection besides the physical one (more on them later). But forewarned is forearmed. So it is better to be prepared for the fact that in the near future – given the speed of development of science and technology – such technologies will become publicly available. And knowing how to protect a card with contactless payment is already a necessity.
Wallets and cases with shielding inserts are a simple and popular solution today. Outwardly, they do not differ from ordinary wallets, but they have a layer of metallized metal alloy film inside, which blocks different radio frequency bands, including 13, 56. Due to this, even a powerful scanner will not be able to read data from the card sensor.
RFID protection can be provided in various ways, depending on the design and construction features of a particular model. Usually, reflective or absorbing materials are used, which provide protection from scanning. Additionally, various microtransmitters can be used that provide active protection by generating “white noise” – a complex of radio waves of various frequencies, which prevents information from being read. Although none of the methods can guarantee 100% protection.
If there is no need to constantly carry a large number of cards, documents and money, then you can use more compact devices – special cases. They are usually made of leather, plastic, fabric, and various synthetic materials and, like purses, wallets, have a shielding gasket. When paying, a credit card may not even be completely removed from the case – its edge with a chip is enough.
The convenience of using a shielded case is also in the fact that it is thin and small enough – the size of a credit card – and therefore it can be carried in a purse or wallet. True, the use of several such cases will already become problematic.
Metal cases are convenient for carrying a large number of cards. To pay, you just need to extract the one you need. But, of course, you will have to wear such a cover separately – it is too big for a purse or wallet.
Case manufacturing steps
- It is necessary to cut two leather rectangles 9.5 cm by 7 cm each;
- Prepare a couple more similar parts from the inner material and foil;
- Put three layers together, glue them together. Let dry;
- Sew the top and bottom together with any convenient seam at a distance of 1mm from the edge on three sides.
Now you know how to make a protective card case.
If you don’t have much time for such activities or don’t have the desire to make something, you can simply buy an RFID card case and protect important information from NFC technologies. It is better to prevent possible damage than to regret the missed opportunities later.
General recommendations
The most important thing to take care of is the restriction of unauthorized access to the card. Always pay on your own and do not hand over the credit card to waiters, sellers, employees of trading floors, etc. Before making a payment, check the amount entered on the terminal screen.
Be sure to use the SMS notification, even if this service is paid. Typically, the subscriber is not so large, and you can quietly “lose” much more. The notification comes instantly – when paying – this will allow you to immediately understand that you have either lost your card, or a scammer is operating nearby with a terminal or scanner that reads data through Radio Frequency IDentification.
For a fraudster, the easiest way to gain access to your finances is to steal the card itself. And even though he won’t be able to withdraw cash, he will be able to use it to pay for purchases on the Internet or in regular stores. In this case, SMS messages will notify you of the loss and the need for action.
You can block a lost or stolen card through a special banking application, by phone or by visiting the branch where you received the credit card in person. For remote blocking, you will most likely need additional data – for example, a code word or passport information. Later, the card can be restored without any problems – for free or for a small fee for reissue and maintenance.
Always try to hold the card in such a way that there is no direct access to it from the outside, and there is always a distance of at least 10 cm between its chip and the nearest person. That is, hide it in your inner pocket, backpack, briefcase. It is better if there are some metal shielding objects nearby – keys, a lighter, a penknife, a multitool.
If you have a credit card with you and money is debited from it, then most likely a scammer is “working” nearby or remotely. Check if your card is lying next to the phone, which acts as a transmitter. Turn off your smartphone immediately and move the card away – into your inner pockets or bag. Remember that an attacker will not be able to access your mobile phone if it is not rooted and its display is locked.
To protect your funds, you can reduce the payment limit without confirming with a pin code. Today, many banking organizations provide such an opportunity. You can configure this parameter in the application or on the official website – in the Personal Account. You can even cancel payments without entering a PIN, but this will limit the functionality of your contactless card. However, when it comes to the safety and security of funds, convenience and functionality fade into the background.
Alternatively, you can refuse to physically use the card itself by installing a special payment application on your smartphone. Of course, there is a possibility of theft of the phone itself. Therefore, this solution is justified for mobile devices equipped with a fingerprint sensor. In this case, even if the gadget ends up in the hands of intruders, it will not be possible to pay for the purchase from it.
Protecting your smartphone and applications from malware, spyware and viruses is a mandatory component of the security of your finances. Therefore, the antivirus should be on the list of required programs that you install on your mobile. But other applications, especially third-party ones, should be treated with suspicion – after all, any of them can be a source of Trojans, thanks to which attackers gain access and steal payment data.
Where are cases used?
A shielding case for a bank card is the most common product, an excellent marketing tool for credit institutions. Full-color branding of the cardholder with a protective lamination has a long contact time with the client.
A protective case for contactless access cards is a favorite way for company employees to save and use access cards, passes, electronic keys. An eyelet is installed in the cardholder and it becomes convenient to use with the retractor in the kit
The plastic shield case is used with great pleasure to store travel cards for public transport and the subway.
Shielding wallets, purses and cases
Benefits of using shielded cases:
- Reliable protection of payment information from hacking and copying.
- Protect the card from degaussing even if it is placed in a strong electromagnetic field.
- Credit card protection from mechanical damage and wear.
In addition, “shielding cases and wallets are not only convenient, but also beautiful. They can be part of the overall style and image of the owner.