Introduction: Simple RFID Blocking Wallet
By kgklinkel
This instructable is for how to make a very simple yet effective RFID-blocking pouch using materials you already have at home.
In the last few years, there has been a rise in crime involving people going around with RFID readers and stealing people's credit card information without the victims even realizing it. Having an RFID-blocking wallet is the simplest and most effective measure to prevent this from happening to you.
RFID (Radio Frequency ID) is a technology that allows a reader to get an identification from a passive device by reading the device-specific response to a band of radio frequencies. Just by being near the reader, a device with an RFID tag or chip can be read wirelessly and instantly. The advantage of this is convenience. For example, you can now pay the bus fare by tapping a pre-loaded card on an RFID reader when you step on the bus. Many credit cards now have the ability to pay by tapping on an RFID reader -- no swiping or inserting necessary. The disadvantage of this is how conveniently easy it is for thieves to get your credit card information (or more). And worse, they can do it right in front of you and you won't even realize it!
Luckily, you can protect yourself in minutes by making yourself a simple RFID-Blocking Wallet!
(NOTE: I have tested this using my RFID bus pass on the bus, and verified that the RFID reader was not able to read the card while it was inside this pouch. It worked exactly as intended.)
Step 1: Materials
All you need is:
- Duct Tape
- Clear Packing Tape
- Aluminum Foil
- Scissors
(The important part is the Aluminum Foil -- its purpose is to create a sort of Faraday Cage around the finished pouch, which blocks / attenuates any electromagnetic signals (i.e. RF signals) coming from outside the pouch.)
Step 2: Duct Tape
Lay down duct tape so that the strips overlap slightly and create a sheet. Make this larger than you will need the finished pouch to be.
Step 3: Aluminum Foil
Lay the aluminum foil [carefully] onto your duct tape sheet. The aluminum foil should lay flat for best results.
Step 4: Packing Tape
The final layer of the material is the clear packing tape. This protects the aluminum foil and prevents the metal from touching the chips on credit cards.
Lay the clear packing tape onto the aluminum foil side. Like you did the duct tape, overlap the strips slightly. Cover the entire area that has duct tape on the opposite side.
Step 5: Cut to Size
Trim away the edges to create a rectangle. Then, using a credit-card-sized card, cut the material so that it will be just larger than a credit card when folded in half.
Step 6: Tape Edges
Finally, to close the pouch, duct tape the edges and trim the excess away.
Step 7: Done!
You're done! Put your credit/debit cards in here, and if you'd like put it in your wallet. Now your cards are safe from thieves who use RFID scanners to steal credit card info.
(Although the one I made worked, please make sure to try out your own pouch before trusting your cards in it!)
I hope you found this instructable useful! If you have any other ideas or modifications from this, please post them in the comments, I'd love to hear them!
