‘My building charges 50 bucks to replace these’: Tenant shares $13 Amazon hack for ‘unlimited’ RFID key fobs

A tenant posted a viral TikTok after discovering how to clone a key fob for just $13 using an RFID device from Amazon. He said his apartment wanted $50 to replace his key fob that stopped working. 

TikToker @zoltronic has reached over 4 million views on his video. He added a caption that says, “Best $13 I ever spent.”

What is an RFID writer?

According to Sk-el, the main purposes of an RFID writer are to write or erase the data into an electronic tag's memory and read the data stored in the electronic tag's memory.

To further explain, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses “radio waves to identify people or objects,” Homeland Security states. “There is a device that reads information contained in a wireless device or 'tag' from a distance without making any physical contact or requiring a line of sight.”

What's the Amazon RFID hack?

To start his video, @zoltronic holds a key fob up to the camera and tells viewers that his apartment building charges $50 to replace a fob if damaged or stolen. 

“Mine broke on me for whatever reason,” he explains. “So, instead of paying them 50 bucks, instead, I went on Amazon, and I bought this thing.” 

@zoltronic pulls out a Handheld RFID writer that he says he purchased from Amazon for just $13. On Amazon, a Handheld RFID Writer is currently priced at $11.99. 

Next, he shows viewers two small plastic bags that he says are filled with both RFID cards and RFID tags. 

While turning on the RFID writer, he mentions that he still has one working fob with him. “All you have to do is take a working fob … hit the read button, read,” and then place the fob on the scanner of the RFID writer, he explains. 

@zoltronic demonstrates how to scan the key fob and says that the writer should then have a signal with a green light that reads “Pass.” The writer has three colored lights on the screen: A red light that signals power, a green light that signals pass, and a yellow light that signals busy.

Before ending his video, @zoltronic says that if he wanted to clone the key fob onto an RFID card, all he would have to do is scan the card onto the writer the same way he did before.

“Done!” he exclaims. “Now, this is a fob for me,” he adds while holding up the RFID card.

“Unlimited fobs, 13 bucks,” he says.

@zoltronic Best $13 i ever spent. Link in bio #condo #miami #rfid #flipperzero #renterfriendly ♬ original sound - Zoltronic

Viewers react

“Mine charges $100!” a viewer told @zoltronic in the comments section of his video. “I bought a flipper zero! The management company hates me because I share the info with the other residents.”

However, a few users began to question the safety of the RFID device. 

“This is actually a really useful product to do not good things lol,” one mentioned.

Another responded, saying, “Yup! My son has one. You can change gas prices, change street lights etc.”

“Wow that’s so scary,” one added.

A user under the Reddit thread r/flipperzero also questioned if the device was able to change gas prices and other technological systems. 

“I used to work at a gas station, and when I worked there I had a little remote that let me change the gas price on the big sign outside,” the user stated. 

Another suggested, “Based on what you've said, it won't change the price at the pump, just what the 'gas price on the big sign outside' reads.”

What can an RFID writer do?

An RFID device, such as a Flipper Zero, has a “low-frequency RFID module capable of reading, saving, emulating, and writing LF RFID cards,” Flipper Zero confirms.

ZDNet further states that Flipper Zeros can act as BadUSB devices, which means that when connected to a port, “it is seen as a Human Interface Device (HID), such as a keyboard.”

“A BadUSB device can change system settings, open backdoors, retrieve data, initiate reverse shells, or do anything that can be achieved with physical access,” it continues.

The Daily Dot reached out to @zoltronic via TikTok comment and direct message.

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The post ‘My building charges 50 bucks to replace these’: Tenant shares $13 Amazon hack for ‘unlimited’ RFID key fobs appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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