Credit and debit cards with embedded RFID chips offer quick “swipe to pay” convenience, but they’re also vulnerable to identity theft. One solution is to use an Altoids tin to carry those cards and protect yourself from RFID hijacks.
Instructables user merlin1974 has detailed instructions for making your Altoids tin wallet. Obviously you can just dump all your cards and cash in there, but a binder clip, elastic bands, and other little additions/tweaks can make your tin wallet easier to use.
Slashdot user ClayJar says this of the RFID security:
[The Altoids tin] has the added benefit of being quite the faraday cage. Unlike foil, which can easily tear, an Altoids tin can take *quite* the beating without any significant damage.
At work, we have RFID security badges. Mine is, obviously, in my Altoids tin. I can hold the tin against the sensor as long as I want; it won’t scan. I pop it open (which is really easy to do one-handed once you get used to it), and it’ll read from several inches away.
As an added bonus, you can use a real wallet as a decoy for thieves when traveling.
(If an Altoids tin is too bulky for you, you can make a duct tape wallet, sew your own shielded wallet, wrap your cards in aluminum foil, or simply buy an RFID-blocking wallet.)
Read More: http://lifehacker.com/5934635/use-an-altoid-tin-as-an-rfid+blocking-wallet
August 13, 2012