h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First let me explain about my situation.
I don't have a credit/debit card by choice, I have a cashpoint only card that I can only draw money from ATM (have had it since openned a bank acount years ago).
When I draw money out, I cover typing numbers in with my other hand and would ask anyone standing close either side of me to move away so couldn't see my pin number. (some ATMs have a 0ne metre exclusion zone painted around ATM).
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Today, I was in a supermarket store and stood literally next to a customer and saw every single number of his pin as he typed it into a mini keypad with a side only 1 inch high, so if a villian I could then have pinched his card and had hours of fun!
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My point is what is the point in spending millions on a system that is so easy to break?
Surely common sense says you build a keypad with high sides, say around 5 inches tall that stops people seeing the numbers typed in?
.....who cares if it doesn't look like a fashion accessory as long as it stops theft?

Tell that to those ID card proponents in the UK. And credit cards are a lot less safe that most will lead you to believe.

Credit cards are safe. If there are any unauthorised transactions, the credit card company has to pay for them, not you.

Yes but if someone clones your card you may never know. Or buy loads of stuff over the internet with it. How do you show it was someone else doing it, unless the card was used in a different country than you were in.

<>

On this subject, make sure you don't write down your PIN number anywhere, as the card companies could quite reasonably argue that this has broken the terms of the agreement.

I put one hand over the machine so that no-one can see what I'm doing with the other hand as I type in the PIN.
This takes a little bit of practice to get used to doing - but works quite well.

"Chip and pin safe"? Yes. At least a lot more than the previous system. Obviously its not going to stop someone observing you entering your PIN and then nicking your card, but this type of card fraud is fairly rare.

What it does stop (for the time being anyway) is skimming operations, either at ATMs or restaurants etc.

But these are minor points, as the main reason banks have pushed for Chip and Pin is to reduce their own liability. Retailers that haven't made the switch yet are, from today, liable for card fraud carried out in their stores. Plus it makes it a lot easier for the banks to shift the liability for fraud onto individuals - supposedly as it is much harder to get someone's PIN than to forge their signature.

I've been using credit and debit cards almost constantly for over 20 years, and shopping on the interweb with them for the last 6...and never been defrauded.

I feel unloved. Why don't people want to defraud me? Do I smell?

RF

Yep.





(Sorry, I had to. You'd have done the same)

Yeah, but, no but...I smell of nice things, like aftershave and stuff. You smell of wee.

RF

Depends where you're sniffing...

Don't need to sniff, just need to be within 10 feet distance...

RF

That is not a nice thought to have in my head

Since this now has nothing to do with point of thread I am unsubscribing......
(unsubscribe)

Not even I will pretend I'm that big. Ten feet? - maybe three foot two, more when excited.

Bye STRANGELY STRANGE. Wasn't the Chip n' Pin thing covered quite comprehensively earlier in the thread?

Back to chip and pin, I dunno my pin they've not sent me one for my credit card guess I should ring em and get one sent out

If I catch ANYBODY saying PIN number I shall smite them. Very hard.

Personal identification number number quite right too it is* personal identification number ain't it? number number number the number of the beast

Can we say ATM machine?