Stung!

I’ve never held with this idea that the internet is an unsafe place to use a credit card, because there’s always a danger of fraud whenver you make any transaction. There’s far more chance of a waiter swiping your card than a hacker intercepting a secure transaction with Amazon.

Now chip and PIN cards have been introduced to make credit cards appear more secure. But I’ve just been told a fraudster has been making cash withdrawals from my account (I still have my card). Previously I never had a PIN because I never made cash withdrawals, and I’ve never had unauthorised transactions on my card. The perception that this system is more secure hides the new opporunities for thieves who now have so many more opportunities to catch your PIN simply by looking over your shoulder at checkouts.

About Simon Wood

Lecturer in medical education, lapsed mathematician, Doctor Who fan and garden railway builder. See simonwood.info for more...

2 thoughts on “Stung!

  1. How did you get cach without a PIN? Surely you didn’t queue up to cash cheques at a bank. Was it all cashback at the checkout, or is there another way?

  2. This was my credit card. I had a PIN for my debit card, but they charge a huge fee if you advance yourself cash on a credit card, so it’s for the desparate only, really. They used to recognise that by making it an optional facility.

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