Millions of Americans who have credit cards equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips for easy use can also have their account info stolen with relative ease by criminals.

Cards with RFID chips are designed to make credit card transactions simple by allowing cardholders to wave their card in front a reader, instead of having to swipe it through a reader. (Editor's note: You can tell if you have one of these cards by looking for the logo depicted to the left.) This kind of transaction is especially common at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.

But the ease of the system is also highly exploitable by criminals. A Tampa Bay TV station sent a reporter out with an RFID expert to document just how easily the system can be exploited. Using a credit card scanner attached to a battery pack, the two were able to pull credit card numbers out of the thin air. It's a crime that's being called "electronic pickpocketing."

"If I just get kind of close to [a person's] back pocket or purse, where ever their wallet is, I can read their credit card numbers, expiration date, actually the whole tracking data," the expert said.

An estimated 98% of people who walk around with RFID cards don't even know they have them. There are believed to be 100 million of these cards in circulation. So what should you do? You can for very little money buy a protective sleeve to encase the card. Clark also thinks it's reasonable to call your credit card company and ask them for one.

Remember, though, if your card number is compromised and used fraudulently, you won't be out the money. But you will have a lot of hassle and paperwork to endure as a result of it.