I don't know if any of you do your personal banking by computer ...I don't , just never felt good about it ......but there has been an alarming hack/breach of security in the U.S. whereby the perps have found a new way to get into accounts and take relatively small amounts so it doesn't get noticed immediately . Better check out your personal stuff just in case . It was on the news yesterday .

T

A few days back my ATM card was used to buy something online from a place I never even heard of... I reported it immediately and the bank put a stop on the payment. I was adviced to destroy the card, which I promptly did, and solicit a new one with a different number....So I broke even, thankfully...

Coincidentally, my bank card number was used to make three fraudulent purchases last week. My bank noticed them immediately and stopped the card. I won't be responsible for any charges and will be getting a new card and number. In the mean time I've been learning how many places don't take checks anymore!

When I got my first computer 8 or 9 years ago I was thinking about banking on line . It wasn't long until I got a fraudulent email from a bank talking about an internal bank audit and requesting my pin number etc. etc .......funny thing , I didn't ever deal with that bank ! Since then I ( and mostly my wife ) do all banking by phone , pay bills , transfer , etc . She has it down to a science .

T

On-line banking, or paying bills is out of the question as far as I'm concerned. Too many people out there find ways to hack into banking systems or whatever else suits their fancy and if you unknowingly get certain tracking viruses on your computer - they can copy every keystroke you make and look for anything that looks like credit card or bank transactions.

About two months ago, someone got hold of my credit card info and made two $400 charges on it for the same item at a Home Depot in Orlando, FL! Didn't have to be responsible for the fraudulent charges, but of course had to get a new card and now every time I place an on-line order for hobby goodies, I hold my breath, cross my fingers and say a prayer.

It's not a bad idea to carry your credit cards in a metal shield in your wallet or purse these days too. Lot of people running around out there with those cute little gizmo's that can read the information off your card from several feet away or capture information when you're at an ATM machine. Also make sure that your web browser is set to clear out the cache every time you exit the browser and of course get a reliable anti-virus program scan your system frequently!

The more dependent we are on computers and credit cards, the greater the chance that we'll get burned.

Some things I don't do is to bank on-line or purchase large items over the Internet. Since we are retired, we don't have that many deposits over the year so a trip to the bank every few months isn't that much of a strain for us. I rarely buy anything off the net either, but when I do, I use a card that has a very low limit, just in case.

I get frequent "warnings" from banks and PayPal that my account is being frozen for suspicious activity and that I need to re-enter all my info to release it. Well, I don't have a PayPal account, nor do I have an account at most of the banks they're suppose to be from. If I do, they're just a phone call away, but never will any of them ask for information like that in an email that may start with, "Dear cardholder". I am also very suspicious of just about any credit card transaction since they all go over the Internet regardless of where it's being scanned, beside, can you really trust that waiter who might have a skimmer hidden in his jacket?

Just this morning I got an email addressed to, "Dear Beneficiary" telling me that there's some deposit that needs to be made and all they need is the following info:

Quote:.....Message From Citibank...............

1) Your full Name:__________
2) Your full Address:______________
3) Your Contact Telephone and Fax No:___________
3) Your Profession, Age and Marital Status:
4) Any valid form of your Identification/Driven Licence:__________
5) Bank Name:__________
6) Bank Address:___________
7) Account Name:___________
8) Account Number:___________
9) Swift code:__________
10) Routing Number:___________

Thanks
Ms.Lynda McCarthy
Foreign Operations
Citibank NY.

,

Now this is clearly a scam, but if they can get just one person in 10,000,000 to fall for it, they've had a good day.

The tip off on these messages if you click they will send you to a google document site, or a yahoo site. Many times the banks get them down in a hurry.
I get emails wanting me to go and verify my yahoo passwords, user name , lots of offers for a million dollars, just for my bank number.
I'm retired so I generally take time to give them some information, all false, and include a phone number for the FBI.
I do everything on line and don't worry about it. I check my bank everyday to see what is going on. Never ever use a debit card on line. Credit cards are protected by the bank. You can get single use credit cards if you so desire.
I have had attempted fraud that the bank has caught, and one of the frauds I blame on the Internet hobby shop that led me to finding "the Gauge" when I was checking on them.
Just because you don't bank on line does not mean you are safe. The bank is on line. Many times all it takes to get into an account is the routing and the account number (unless there is all ready an on line account then they need user name and password). If you write checks these are on every one. You are many times safer on line than you are shopping in person. When we took credit cards at the railroad we scanned the card and the information went right to the bank. we never saw the credit card number so no one could have gotten it there. Sure the cards can be scanned by a waiter or some one if you hand them the card. Just pay at the check-out and keep your card in sight at all times.
Even if you don't bank on line you should set up an account so you can monitor the activity.
You have to be alert with every thing you do today, there is always someone watching. IMHO Too many years with little crimes and no punishment.

Yup, I agree, even brick and mortar banks aren't hack free. I have direct payments to several utility companies and other monthly accounts, and all it took was for me to send them a voided check. As you say, anyone, so it seems, that has your account and routing #'s can just ask for the bank to transfer money out of your account into theirs. I'm sure that without them having written authorization, I could easily challenge the payment. I doubt that the bank even verifies my signature on any checks that I write. Our secretary had her outgoing mail stolen once and they "washed" her checks including her signature and then rewrote them. I could never understand why they washed the signatures, but hey, that's why they're called, "dumb criminals" I guess. :o We are fast becoming a cashless society and that definitely leaves us wide open to fraud.

As for the email I get, no, I won't share in your attempt to take $50,000,000 out of Nigeria, nor do I think I've won $250,000 in a lottery or contest that I never entered. I have no desire to try to retrieve that package you say you can't deliver without more info, and feel free to freeze my PayPal, Citibank, Barklay's or B of A accounts, I'm not sending you the info you asked for, even if I did have these accounts...which I don't.

And for those that call pretending to be our grandson, no, I don't believe your being held captive in a Mexican jail, and if you are, that's your problem for getting into that situation. If you are from the IRS, jury board, my bank or even from Microsoft technical dept, please, give me credit, I'm old, but not that old........... :geek:

I think one of the keys for all of us , regardless of how you do your banking , is to be on top of it regularly . I sometimes chuckle at the questions my wife asks about " what was this ?? " ...she's like a junk yard dog with banking and that's a good thing !

T