This is just meant to be a public service announcement.
I have always been very cautious about who and where I give my credit card information to. With that being said. You cant even trust giving that information over the phone. Just last Friday I had given my information to a company over the phone and by Sunday I had supposedly signed up for about 10 **** sites. My bank saw that it wasn't fitting my profile of spending and time of day and shut it down. I am sure I know who it was because of the fact it was an older re-issued card but with a new security code on the back and I have only given this out once. If I were to state the name of the business everyone would recognize it. But I will not do that at this time.

 

It could very well be a data security issue with the company that processes transactions for the merchant (I work in that industry). What I'm saying is, don't automatically assume you need to mistrust the merchant....they may have nothing to do with it, other than contracting with a processor with security problems.

 

Glad that wasn't me....I would have fit the profile and would have been screwed! Actually they might have called and asked why only 10 sites this month.

 

I feel safer giving my card on the internet than I do over the phone or at a local store.

 

However there has been no processing of the card at this time. They are just holding on to the number to insure I send parts back to them.

 

Many card companies these days will give you a different card number to use if you are concerned about security.You call up discovisacard and tell them you want to make an online purchase of $321.08 and they will give you a valid card number to use that is only good one time and for that amount and is linked to your existing account. Not all card providers do it but some do and more are doing it all the time. Some may charge of bit but paranoia ain't cheap.

 

I am really enjoying those sites too.
Thanks FLHT!

 

banking online is 100 times more secure as well,oppisite of what most people will say. When you write a check they can go online and use your account number, but when a check is sent from online banking its issued from another bank without your account number on it. fyi

 

[sm=funnypostabove.gif] Glad you are enjoying them

 

Data is only as secure as the human element involved in handling it. Aside from that fundamental truth, I'll never understand how people/companies can and do so readily rely on closed-source widely-used computer stuff such as Microsoft products. It totally boggles the mind...

In the case of the thread-starter, it could well have been something as simple as that the person taking the number wrote it down on a pad of paper or a post-it note and a counter customer saw it; maybe even took it. Maybe they threw the note into the dumpster in the alley. Maybe an unscrupulous employee. Maybe the outfit was using an unsecured cordless phone when they took the number and another was listening. Probably they entered it into the computer which is running Windows and is connected in any way to a public network and has been compromised (how many times?). The possibilities really are countless.

Privacy is like virginity. Once it's gone it's gone.