Securing personal information

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) – With so many of us juggling the demands of work and taking care of our families, we don't give much thought to securing our personal information.

It's something that really should be paid attention to, because credit and ATM card thieves are on the lookout.

Many of us rely on the cards we carry for our day to day transactions, things like buying groceries or filling up the gas tank. Much of the attraction of the cards is in their ease, but crooks are looking to cash in on our love of convenience.

A simple swipe of a card, sometimes just a tap and your card's information gives you access to buy. However, if someone else gets your information, they could be spending your money before you catch on.

Newschannel 3 sat down with a Grand Rapids-based information security expert to talk about where we might be the most vulnerable.

First we wanted to know more about 'fast-tap' cards with RFID technology, Radio Frequency Identification.

“It is quite a bit quicker for the transaction,” said Joseph Couture of Redrock Information Security.

But does it make our cards more vulnerable? Some reports suggest someone simply walking by with a card reader can steal personal information without even gaining access to our purses and wallets.

“The early generation cards in 2006, yes,” said Couture. “You could get a person's name, card number, expiration date.”

However Couture says banks quickly updated the technology, making it virtually impossible for thieves to steal enough useful information from current cards. Couture also questions whether there is a real need for the protective sleeves being pushed by some manufacturers.

“I think it's a lot of hype,” said Couture.

Couture says the real danger is at the ATM.

“This is a huge problem you don't hear much about,” said Couture.

Couture is talking about skimmers, card readers that fit right over a legitimate ATM card slot.

“They look like it's part of the ATM, with a keypad, also has a pinhole camera built in, so when you swipe your card, it steals all the info you have on your card, and when you punch your PIN in, it has that info as well,” said Couture.

Because the skimmer allows the actual bank transaction to go through, users have no idea their information has been lifted. Meanwhile, the thieves are dipping into the accounts.

There are some things you can look out for to make sure that the ATM you are using hasn't been compromised. There are also some very simple things we can all do to make sure any problems are caught later on.

Newschannel 3 will bring you that part of the story Monday night at 11:00 pm.

You can find more information about preventing identity theft at the Michigan Attorney General's website here, and the Michigan State Police's website here.