Blocking out Digital Pickpockets with #BLOCKIT

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

On Saturdays, I sometimes like to stretch the boundaries of my little blog and review something a little different.  When I was offered the opportunity to review these Credit Card RFID scan blockers, I couldn't resist - after all, without my credit cards, it would make buying all that lovely makeup and nail polish so much harder!

You've probably heard about RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) being added to credit cards. The idea is to make cards more secure.. but the hackers seem to always be one step ahead.  Turns out, there is something called, "Digital/Electronic Pickpocketing" where a scammer can buy an RFID scanning device and lift your credit card information without even touching your credit card.

I would be so sad if someone made off with my Rottweiler Credit Card!

According to Snopes.com, the amount of information and the strength of the signal transmitted can vary widely, but most cards don't transmit names or security codes, and some even have dummy card numbers on them.  Without having all the information, the scammer wouldn't be able to make their own fake card.  But, I think we've all placed an order at some point with a cashier that didn't follow all the security rules, or might be manipulated into accepting a fake card.

These RFID shields from Block-it are approved by the US Government for use as electromagnetically opaque shields.  They are made up of 3 layers:  a layer of aluminum blocks 13.56MHz frequencies, and a layer of copper blocks 125kHz frequencies.  The 3rd layer is so that it's pretty.

I got the red one for me because it matches my (really old, beat up) wallet, and I picked a purple one for my husband to put in his.  Mine fit very snugly into the credit card slots, but I could still get the card in and out of the slot.  My husband had to move his credit card to the cash section of his wallet.  Mine also orients horizontally, with the opening on the long edge, but the one I gave him orients vertically, and opens on the short edge.  When making your purchase on Amazon, you can choose either 6 side-loading or 6 top-loading sleeves.

I decided to do a soft purple floral nailart inspired by the sleeve I gave my husband.  The polishes I used are really purple, not blue.  I did see *the dress* as white/gold, though, so maybe it does look purple to you... I used Glitter Gal Crushed Ego for the base, and the flowers are primarily KAYS Twilight, mixed with a little white or black polish.

For more information about Block-it RFID protectors, you can find them on their website, and on Amazon, where a pack of 6 currently retails for $14.95.

What do you think about the need to protect yourself from digital pickpockets?