Traveling Anytime Soon? This Tip Can Protect Your Money

Traveling is loads of fun and can be one of the most exciting things. While it seems as simple as booking a flight and hotel, packing a bag, and heading out, there is a lot more that you should think about.

As care-free as we all wish traveling was, unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there looking to scam unassuming tourists. This means, if you don’t want to worry about being taken advantage of while exploring, you have to take some precautions.

With the prevalence of ‘tap’ card scanners to pay for things, many of us are walking around every day with cards that have this function. While this makes shopping a breeze, it also opens us all up to the possibility of being stolen from through RFID or NFC.

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What is RFID/NFC?

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and NFC means Near Field Communication. These terms tend to be used interchangeably, but NFC is what is used for contactless payment, like ‘tap’ card readers. Both of these allow information to be taken from your cards from a distance, or from quick contact.

What does this mean for travelers?

This means that a scammer can simply bump into you with a NFC reader in their pocket, and if it gets close enough to the cards in your pocket or bag, it can take money directly from your card. This can happen on the street, in a restaurant, in a bar, or anywhere else you might be, even in your own hometown.

What should you do?

In order to protect yourself from this, it’s a good idea to get an RFID-blocking wallet. There are a wide variety of options nowadays, from large capacity to slim wallets for both men and women. There are a bunch of options available on Amazon, or other online retailers.