RFID MasterCard

starburst writes "MasterCard introduces a RFID MasterCard called PayPass in Orlando Florida. They tout the convenience of no more swiping or giving your card to cashiers. They claim the card has to be within an inch of the reader to be read -- how long till criminals are walking the malls, or next to you in line with portable readers getting your card information?"

Comments

Photo and PIN on Cash Card / Credit Card??

[justinmc]

If my photo had to be on my Credit Card and also I had to enter a Secret PIN to use it - would that stop a load of Credit Card Fraud??
If I am at the store, they compare my photo to me?
However I guess some people would not like carrying an ID card (which it could make the Credit Card?) around with them??
Just my two bits (0&1)

Re:Photo and PIN on Cash Card / Credit Card??

[Elvisisdead]

In my case, on the back of every card I carry is emblazoned, "ASK FOR ID !!!" in red sharpie-induced print. Someone asks me for ID maybe 20% of the time. The percentage jumps to around 50% for those who actually look at the back of the card.

It doesn't matter which technology is used (a magnetic strip or an RFID tag). Without authentication of a valid user, the situation won't improve.

Re:Photo and PIN on Cash Card / Credit Card??

[dbc]

20% That high??? You are lucky. One friend of mine who for a time ran his own company doing very high priced ECAD software had this experience: He was entertaining clients at a pricey eatery -- the waiter quietly calls him asside and says: "Excuse me sir, but the name on this card does not match your signature" -- Indeed, it did not. The name was someone elses entirely -- not even close. (He settled the bill on another card without embarassment.) Turns out, about a month earlier, a salesmen and he had gotten their cards swapped by a waiter at some other resturant. They both went for *a solid month* of sales call T&E before this waiter caught it. They got to be well aquainted over the next two months as they sorted out their bills.

Dexit

[Chess_the_cat]

There's something similiar in Canada called Dexit. But it's not a credit card. It's a type of debit card with a $100 limit so if you lose it or anything you're not really out all that much. You can refill it anytime online, over the phone, or automatically from your account. It's used for fast food, candy, newspapers, whatever.

How secure?

[jayminer]

I think that's a make up on the current insecure credit card framework, which is hopeless. Credit cards are so propagated through the world, and it would be very costly (and disastrous) to build a brand new security mechanism so anyone can understand why MasterCard does such kind of show-off, without doing actually anything.

This quote is worth any comment:

"PayPass is guaranteed as safe and secure as all MasterCards."

Oh, then that gave me a very strong and confident feeling. (Read this as: secure my ass)

how long...

[moviepig.com]

...how long till criminals ... with portable readers [get] your card information?

How long till plainclothes cops walk the malls carrying detectors that sense the self-incriminating probe of the would-be pickpacket?

In theory it is the card vendors problem

[Coryoth]

I had my credit card number stolen - still no idea how. May have been random card number generation for all I know - I did nothing particularly unsafe (using your credit card at all is pretty unsafe). I was immediately contacted by my bank who were suspicious because the charges were (a) out of line with my current spending pattern (b) in a completely different country to my previous charges. I simply verified that no, I hadn't been to Spain recently, they faxed me some forms (basically just signing to say that no, the following charges were not made by me) and 3 days later my new credit card arrived by courier. everything else was handled by the bank.

In some ways I got lucky because the nature of the spending raised flags, and because my bank actually has incredibly good service. The catch is, it is up to the credit card companies to wear the cost of stolen cards etc. presuming you take reasonable precautions. If they want to embed easily readable RFID tags and have to cover a shitload of costs for easily stolen card numbers... well, more power to them. They'll be out of that business soon enough.

Jedidiah.