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

Yes... but only if you make a donation to charity each time you do

The problem for me is not so much that the new system is safer than the old (which is probably is, just about) more that the users get so much reassurance that things are so much safer now that there is a higher risk of complacency. Also, people without so much technical knowledge could be taken advantage of: “Madam, could you write your pin number on this pad please? It’s part of our increased security measures”.

Still, in the long run people will get wise and normality will resume, just like decimalisation.

I don't think it is that much safer, after all someone could look over your shoulder and see what pin you put in, then pick pocket you. Hope I haven't given the criminals too many ideas there lol

Or they could look at you, realise that you're out shopping, and burgle your house or steal your car!

I didn't think of that! <never leaving the house again. At least that gives me more time on H2G2

I dont approve of putting pins in chips. They will hurt your mouth when you chew them. Common sense if you ask me. Pins dont go in chips like blades dont go in baked potatoes. Why? They just dont. Next time I'm in the chippie and the fellah says 'Salt and Vinegar mate?' I'll say yes, if he says 'Open or wrapped?' I'll answer accordingly to the weather outside (generally if it's cold and they are to be wrapped) but if he says 'Any pins on your chips mate?' I'm just turning around and walking. I don't care what the law says.

Still, better than the old days when you had to sign your fish before they handed your grub over. The batter used to make the pen go all over the plaice.

*gets coat*

But with all these fishy security precausions, ain't we at risk of coddling people?

chip n pin wont be safe for long as there's always theifs out there who steal identity every day and this id card will not word at all that what i say

I was at the ATM the other day when I noticed someone perched nearby looking over my shoulder. I nearly haddockoranary! I went after him, but he went herring down the road so fast I couldn't catch him.

My account was empty anyway so I had to go to a loan shark. 'Eel be mad with me if I don't pay him back. He was carping on for ages with threats.

I was a bit annoyed then so I went to the bar for a pint of bass. There was a band playing a tunah'm not familiar with, so I just danced the conger. As if that wasn't bad enough I got in a row with Ken Loach about Iraqi reconstruction contracts - he can't stand Hallibuton!

never be safe never just be like sign cards they forge any one numbers these days i always use cheque in bank then you alway get peeps watching what you write anyway they should build atm booth that locks after each person uses that way no crime i was on work this morning and the bank over road was ram raided last night they took the whole atm cash machine out wall the cash wont be any good as they containe red dye dont they.

Even if it does have red die, any half conscious criminal should be able to launder it through the useual means without too much hastle... The only time, from personal experiance I've had fraud comitted on my finances, was wehn a 'friend' stole cheques from my cheque book and forged my signature (very badly), used my Switch card online, and forged my signature in my building society book (that he'd taken and returned before I had noticed it'd gone) I'm not anywhere near as trusting with friends or anyone anymore, but its being out and about doing transactions myself that I'm least worried about it, it is, I think most likely to happen in other ways, I.E., card cloning etc....

Ah yes, ID Fraud. Another govt. scaremongering trick and stick to beat all those woolly lefties with.

http://www.identitytheft.org.uk/ID%20fraud%20table.pdf

UK govts. breakdown on Identity fraud.

Now, call me cynical, but including vague averages and guess work, as well as the *cost of preventing* identity fraud and things like false identities, in a report saying that my identity uis valuable and there's a load of people out there actively trying to steal it is scare mongering.

One of the biggest areas of ID fraud is managers in companies using someone elses network login to defraud their company.

which isn;t to say we shouldn't all be careful, but it does show that ID fraud that'll clean out your bank account is tiny compared to everything else, and in no relation to the overhyped figures the govt comes out with.

>> never be safe never just be like sign cards they forge any one numbers these days i always use cheque in bank then you alway get peeps watching what you write anyway they should build atm booth that locks after each person uses that way no crime i was on work this morning and the bank over road was ram raided last night they took the whole atm cash machine out wall the cash wont be any good as they containe red dye dont they. <<

Here, have these:

.;:,',..',;'?

A D S I W I F D K J C V B

Assorted punctuation and capital letters. You may find them handy! <tongueout

I work in a supermarket and it makes me very worried sometimes how unprotective people are of their PINs! Some people even mumble the numbers they are punching in OUT LOUD.

And I often see doddery old ladies getting their card out of their purse, then going in the same purse and getting out a little slip of paper with their PIN written on it! When I advise them against this they say that they can't remember it otherwise.

over poor spelling, just when i type fast i don't check
what i have typed out.

"chip n pin wont be safe for long as there's always theifs out there who steal identity every day and this id card will not word at all that what i say"

I've been using chip&pin cards for nearly 10 years now in France - and the amount of credit card fraud is a heck of a lot lower than in the UK.

Well I'd say using pin is still safer than that signature thing. Just a matter of people taking the proper precautions, such as not mumbling the numbers to themselves when typing them in.

Apparantly the whole 'Chip n Pin' stuff is all going to be phased out round my way because it is so unpopular. The plan is for a new 'Chip n Dale' system whereby you profer your card to the retailer then have to produce two small animated brown squirrels from your pocket who will then chirpily sing confirmation of your identity.