Good suggestions to protect your personal identity

[Monique]

Good to know that they don't actually print the PIN on the card, there must've been a misunderstanding. Still, how secure is it if the card can be used with basic personal information that everyone has access to? When I use my debit card online, I have a calculator where I stick my card into and give my PIN number, it then displays a unique code that can be used only once. No personal information is transmitted.

Not too long ago I was able to 'break into' the PayPal account of my boyfriend. He had forgotten his password, the only thing I needed to do was to enter his bank account number and his telephone number and I was in! No e-mails were sent and I could set up a new password. I immediately terminated the service, that kind of security is ridiculous.

 

[Kajahtava]

Well I was referring to other people. My grandmother for instance would probably forget her PIN daily without having it written down somewhere. People here seem to really detest having any form of security that makes them have to think or remember anything or that inconveniences them in any way. Working as a security guard I have consistently found security doors left ajar, jammed, the bolt taped down, and even whole locks taken apart or simply broken. And these people pay to have this security.

Ahaha, it's like paying for a diet coke.

I get the idea I suppose, but memorising four meagre digits isn't that hard right? My computer goes to lock mode if I don't touch it for 1:30 minutes and encrypts the session if it takes 15 minutes, so I have to enter a 16 character code a lot more often, which I also memorized. This is probably the point you realize my phobia for insecurity.

Also, what's with the patronizing pet name? Not that I dislike by the way.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Good to know that they don't actually print the PIN on the card, there must've been a misunderstanding. Still, how secure is it if the card can be used with basic personal information that everyone has access to? When I use my debit card online, I have a calculator where I stick my card into and give my PIN number, it then displays a unique code that can be used only once. No personal information is transmitted.

Not too long ago I was able to 'break into' the PayPal account of my boyfriend. He had forgotten his password, the only thing I needed to do was to enter his bank account number and his telephone number and I was in! No e-mails were sent and I could set up a new password. I immediately terminated the service, that kind of security is ridiculous.

It seems that here, instead of coming up with a new and more secure system, they have merely complicated the the existing one. So far I have never had any issues with the security of my personal information (save the one the banks says happened but gave me no information regarding it). Hacker friends have made me rather paranoid though. It sort of weirded me out when the taxi company started saving my phone number and the locations where I had asked for pick up. And they tell me that their system requires that they keep said information.

Ahaha, it's like paying for a diet coke.

I get the idea I suppose, but memorising four meagre digits isn't that hard right? My computer goes to lock mode if I don't touch it for 1:30 minutes and encrypts the session if it takes 15 minutes, so I have to enter a 16 character code a lot more often, which I also memorized. This is probably the point you realize my phobia for insecurity.

Also, what's with the patronizing pet name? Not that I dislike by the way.

I have not had any issue myself. In fact the PIN I have currently is the one that was randomly generated for my new card after the last one expired. I meant to create a new one but then wondered what the point was after I memorized the one they gave me. Since it is randomly generated it is no less secure than what ever I could come up with.

Sorry if "Kaj" seems patronizing. It is just quick and easy to type when quoting via cut and paste. Feel free to call me "Ape" or what ever. :-)

 

[Kajahtava]

Sorry if "Kaj" seems patronizing. It is just quick and easy to type when quoting via cut and paste. Feel free to call me "Ape" or what ever. :-)

Oh, as I said, I don't really mind, quite the reverse actually.

Also, maybe this is needless, but I guess 'Kai' would be more appropriate within the rules of Finnish phonology. /i/ > /j/ in intervocalic contexts.

 

[pallidin]

Hey guys,
I found an interesting Wiki on Card Security Codes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_Security_Code

 

[rhody]

Hey guys,
I found an interesting Wiki on Card Security Codes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_Security_Code

Yeah, and after reading it it appears to the the Security Codes can be compromised via Phishing scams. To me, the one time secure number tied to (Citibank, Bank of America, or Discover card's) the expiration date, amount, vendor is the way to go (see post #4) above.

It may be inconvenient, take a bit of time, but I would definitely consider it for making purchases out of the continental US. We visited Jamaica a few years back, bought one expensive item, and were hounded by the locals for months saying they were not paid in full by the credit card company, using the method described above would have laid their claims in the dust.

Rhody...

 

[Monique]

Ahh, you guys were talking about that printed code. Any time you use your credit card in public, people with an ill mind are able to copy that code right? During online transactions I am required to enter a personal pin number and many countries (mainly European?) are now requiring a PIN number to be entered with credit card transactions (a signature won't do).

edit, some more info: apparently the "dumb" credit cards (without chips) should still be accepted:
http://www.elliott.org/blog/two-important-warnings-for-americans-using-their-credit-cards-in-europe"

Capital One representative:

"Ensure your card is processed successfully when traveling abroad
Traveling to Europe soon? Be aware that many countries throughout Europe, including the UK, Ireland, France, and others, have recently introduced a chip and pin payment system that utilizes cards embedded with a chip and protected through the use of a personal identification number. Some merchants in Europe have mistakenly refused to accept Visa cards issued by U.S. financial institutions because the cards do not have an embedded chip that can be read at the point of sale.

The good news is that U.S. cardholders visiting Europe can continue to use their magnetic stripe Visa card in countries with this system. The merchants’ terminals are designed to recognize and prompt appropriately, and you should still be able to sign a transaction receipt."

 

[Kajahtava]

Dijkstra saw it all.