Mitigating your Online Risk

[scroobal]

I saw Kingrant's thread which is timely and also one clown in the thread who gave tips to terminate a linked credit card account including things like changing passwords regularly which is inconvenient and a waste of time. Here are some that stood the test of time.

1. Create a separate and distinct online set of credentials for all online purchases or sales done thru media such as Paypal, Amazon, gumtree, and anything else you buy on the net.

2. First create a separate email account with recognised and well controlled entity such as gmail. This email address is only for all your financial activity. It common practice for online retailers and intermediaries to used email as userID as people will remember it.

3. Next use one of your credit cards from a good bank known for it high detection fraud rate and get a second card. If you got a VISA, get a Mastercard or vice versa. Get them to lower the limit to twice your monthly average online spend. This helps restricts any fraud exposure. So if you usual line limit is $20k, ask them to bring it down to $500.

4. When you register for Paypal, Apple etc, they will ask you to provide a card number to activate and make an initial purchase. As practice, if you do not intend to use it often, delink the account. Just sign on and delink the card account. All of them provide this avenue.

5. Never ever link a bank account to any of these online activities. Only credit card account and a debit card if you cannot get a credit card account.

6. If you are a regular online shopper, switch to an Apple Device and avoid anything in windows, android etc. Trojans that siphon financial details do not screw your PC but surreptitiously steal within you knowing. It called man-in-the- browser attack. Only a good bank will detect a trojan in your device when you connect to the Bank system but only if is a known or existing footprint.

7. All online purchases used by branded credit and debit cards enjoy automatic chargeback rights if they are done online and if you did not authorise it and where a password for 3D secure is not used. 3D secure is also called Verified by VISA, Securecode by Mastercard and Safekey by Amex. So don't fret.

8. People who tell you to change password frequently should be looked clearly in the eye and slapped across the face.

9. People who tell you to use more characters in your PIN and password should also be looked clearly in the eye and slapped acrosss the other cheek.

10. Enjoy your online experience.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

Thanks.

I regret not doing all this years ago, and paid the price dearly when my STRATFOR account was breached.

The fuckers even had the nerve to use my hacked email address and email me with that.

Also, thanks to the fuckers who suggested long passwords, my passwords are also 24 characters long and mixed with uppercase & lowercase alphabets, numerals and punctuation marks.

 

[scroobal]

Every time I see suggestions for long passwords or changing passwords, I know they have no clue. Unfortunately it it has gone into urban lore.

Sadly the worse culprits are those in IT security.

Thanks.

Also, thanks to the fuckers who suggested long passwords, my passwords are also 24 characters long and mixed with uppercase & lowercase alphabets, numerals and punctuation marks.

 

[Hawkeye1819]

Every time I see suggestions for long passwords or changing passwords, I know they have no clue. Unfortunately it it has gone into urban lore.

Sadly the worse culprits are those in IT security.

Long passwords are no safer than short ones (much like penis performance vs length). The trouble is using English words like "password" or their spouse's name or their dog's name which can be easily cracked by software if the hacker has gained access to the MD5 hash encrypted file.

 

[chuckyworld]

Every time I see suggestions for long passwords or changing passwords, I know they have no clue. Unfortunately it it has gone into urban lore.

Sadly the worse culprits are those in IT security.

I have money withdrawn from my bank account, the withdrawal is done in the province of Quebec at around 3 am, 3k that is the limit which was set for per day, my bank call me first thing in the morning around 7 am and reimburse every single cent that was withdraw from it, alway let your bank and credit cards company know when you are travelling and to where, or when you are home.......

If item bought are expensive alway have a live conversation with the credit cards service dept, with a safe password that they know it is you that are buying.

 

[scroobal]

I could not have said it any better.

Long passwords are no safer than short ones (much like penis performance vs length). The trouble is using English words like "password" or their spouse's name or their dog's name which can be easily cracked by software if the hacker has gained access to the MD5 hash encrypted file.

 

[scroobal]

I know of a case of someone who was posted to the UN had their entire Savings emptied via the debit card overtime. That person had left the account and mail address intact with the hope that family will keep the mail unopened the safe for his periodic return.

The world now is such that online banking has no boundaries and remotes servicing is the way to go. A really good bank will allow you to set parameters and generate alerts that are not overwhelming. This means that you get an sms or imessage where you key in yes or no. No need to talk, answer grandmother authentication questions with someone from a contact with a Filipino accent.

A great bank will not have you call them everytime you travel. It should have first class detection system and must have the appetite to take reasonable losses with bothering their customers.

I have money withdrawn from my bank account, the withdrawal is done in the province of Quebec at around 3 am, 3k that is the limit which was set for per day, my bank call me first thing in the morning around 7 am and reimburse every single cent that was withdraw from it, alway let your bank and credit cards company know when you are travelling and to where, or when you are home.......

If item bought are expensive alway have a live conversation with the credit cards service dept, with a safe password that they know it is you that are buying.