(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I read that hackers are successfully getting our card details en mass directly from small businesses with poor internet security.

I have no idea if this may also be applicable if we pay by credit or debit card at the till or over the telephone.

Perhaps other Forum members can comment as this is deadly serious if the ball is no longer in our court.

My regards

Yes they warned about this in the idg.se that is our version of PCWorld.

So it seems very serious indeed.

What about these special cards for VISA and other company that
is a new one for each transaction. The card number get created
only for that transaction. Would that not make it rather safe?
They can only steal the amount that one set for it and only during
the short time one have it active to secure the transfer to Amazon
or whatever. Say I buy a book. Then that number is only for that book
and the some is book price plus VAT and Toll and such added costs.

Hi nooby et al,

Thanks for the update. I did not know about the "new-one-off" cards. But, perhaps that does not apply to debit cards?

My regards

Debit cards totally screw the cardholder. You accept all the risk. If your checking account is cleaned out, you're at the mercy of the bank. If you use a credit card your options are much better. In the U.S. you can dispute a credit card charge and the maximum you're out is $50 if your card is used without your permission. It's actually a federal law I believe.

My poor English misled us all

I don't know the term. You have a VISA on your Bank.
Then when you want to do an online buy instead of
telling the seller your real VISA numbers. VISA and the Bank
has a Electronic (virtual) Card that you make on the fly.
That is automatically given a VISA special number that is only
working for that transaction and not for anybody else as I get it.

So the criminal need to be the other end of the transaction.
That way one maybe can trace from where and what computer
them faked it.

If you lose the money I don't know. But you only lose what you
had on that Electronic one time usable card and not all of your money.
Could it have the name VISA E-Card ?

1. "What about these special cards for VISA and other company that is a new one for each transaction.
The card number get created only for that transaction."
(a) I had one of those a couple of years back.
It was brilliant, but you could only use it online, not over the phone.
Issued when I got a Cahoot credit card.
They called it a "Cahoot webcard".

(b) Cahot terminated the service after a year or two.
They had been the only company in the UK mainland to offer this service.

(c) How it works:
The user installs the Webcard program on their PC.
Then whilst paying online, you click the icon in the system tray to run the program.
It contacts its home-base [securely by using encryption] and the user is given the details of a virtual, one-off, credit card.
The user specifies a limit for the amount that can be charged for this one-and-only transaction.
Supplies the info to complete the purchase.
It's only good for that single purchase, and the payee cannot take more than the limit specified by the payer.

2. I wish there was such a thing that could be used online, and would also be accepted for payment over the phone.

3. I once had trouble when attempting to buy online.
They had a system where just to enter the site they required that I give my debit card details.
Didn't give my card details online to login.
Instead I phoned the seller.
They said that with my details they would check that my account was good, by removing a small sum, then immediately pay it back into the account.
I phoned my bank and told them about this.
They said that when they see a small amount being taken from my account, the account would automatically be frozen, because this is typically the precursor to a fraudulent debit.
I again phoned the seller and told them this.
I explained about the Cahoot webcard, and asked if they would accept the details of this one-off credit card.
Lots of discussion...he said they would, and then they wouldn't.
I then paid over the phone, not using the webcard method but by the normal method, and all was well with that transaction.

Flash wrote:Debit cards totally screw the cardholder.

Depends in the bank.....there are several that offer the same protection for bank cards as they offer for credit cards....

Pays to not only shop around, but to also establish a personal relationship with your banker.

Thom