Identity Stronghold is Joining the Fight Against Identity Theft

Identity Stronghold, an Englewood, Florida based company founded by Walt Augustinowicz, has joined in the effort to provide a solution to a growing form of identify theft. Using RFID chips in debit and credit cards, passports and I.D. badges, a thief holding a hand-held scanner can silently steal someone's personal information. Identity Stronghold offers a special metallic-lined sleeve, basic model for $4.99, that blocks an RFID chip's signal. How does this company stack up against the other companies and solutions for preventing RFID based identity theft?

First, let's look at the problem Identity Stronghold is hoping to help solve:

Thanks to the technology of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a little chip used on passports and credit cards that allows companies to scan and send the information stored on the chips, the crime of identity theft is getting easier. Crooks, using scanners they buy off the Internet, can simply walk past someone and wave the scanner at their back pocket, silently stealing their identification from the RFID chip. Radio waves send account numbers, expiration data, and other personal information that can be used by the identity thief without ever seeing your card or having any contact with you.

How prevalent is this crime?

It's hard to say how prevalent this particular form of identity theft is. The scanners can be bought from several different legitimate Internet sites, but they aren't cheap. They range from $600 to several thousand per scanner. They aren't inconspicuous either; even the portable ones would be hard to conceal. The ranges vary as well. The technology is improving, but with some of them you'd have to be right behind the person you were scanning. It's not easy to prove that this is how someone's identity was stolen even if a crime is committed.

How do I protect myself?

Blocking the radio waves with some sort of metallic material is the basic solution that most experts agree on. But just what kind of metallic material and in what form is the question.

There are plenty of DIYers that will tell you how to block the information yourself. Directions for everything from aluminum foil and duct tape to more complicated Faraday cages (an enclosure that blocks electric fields, invented by scientist Michael Faraday in 1836) are shared on various techie sites. Some people claim an empty, metallic lined potato chip bag will work. If you are fairly good at crafts and can follow directions on a website, you can probably improvise some sort of adequate protection, at least from the weaker scanners. There are even sites that recommend removing the chips altogether!

I'm not a Do-It-Yourselfer. Can't I just go to Radio Shack and buy something?

No, not yet at least. Online, there are several places, with a limited number of products. Paraben or Yellow Jacket Products, RFID Shield and Identity Stronghold sell only through their websites.

What is the difference between the companies who offer protection for my information?

Most offer only a basic website, with a limited number of products. RFID Shield is an Internet company selling what they call shields; they look much like the envelopes Identity Stronghold is selling, but they retail for $9.99, twice the price; passport shields, which you can sometimes get for free from the same place you got the passport, run $19.99. Paraben Forensic Tools sells only passport bags, in which you could also store your credit cards. Yellow Jacket Products has a limited number of products ranging from $12.95 to $34.95. Identity Stronghold's website was much more informative; it was also better designed and offered more products for better prices.

Identity Stronghold's website explains in detail how the sleeve blocks the information; there are also variations on the theme in the form of badge holders, lanyards and carabiner reels to hold them. If you have a lot of cards you need protected, the attractive leather wallets with every pocket secure might be your best bet. The men's leather wallets are $29.95 and the women, who have a variety of colors to choose from, would pay $39.95. Industry Stronghold also offers cell phone shielded bags so that your phone can't be traced. The prices range from $1.99 for the lanyards to $39.95 for the women's wallets. Identity Stronghold suggests protecting debit and credit cards, TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential), Employer ID card, Enhanced Driver's License, Government Employee PIV card, and U. S. Passports.

Identity theft through RFID chip technology is a growing crime. You can protect yourself by making some sort of metallic sleeve, or by buying one from an online company. Identity Stronghold has an excellent website, reasonable prices, and a variety of products. Identity Stronghold is a welcome ally in the fight against identity theft.

Resources:

http://www.winknews.com/Business-Economy/2010-05-04/New-credit-cards-and-passports-put-your-identity-at-risk

http://www.idstronghold.com/

http://www.idstronghold.com/why.asp

http://buyrfid.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/45?osCsid=fa83157e745a09afd25074cfbae9d3d7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

http://www.yellowjacketproducts.net/products.htm

http://www.paraben-forensics.com/rfid-passport-security.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-RFID-Shielding-Pouch-Out-of-Trash/

http://www.instructables.com/answers/can-I-make-an-RFID-blocking-wallet-using-aluminum-/

http://www.rfid-shield.com/products.php