I don't know about yours, but with my online banking access, I am hard-pressed to find any information in there that could actually be used to take money from me. I cannot initiate any transfers out of accounts I own without lengthy verification processes, all of which generate notifications to me via email.
My full account numbers are deeply hidden requiring many clicks to uncover, but just having the account number is not enough to cause me any real harm. My name and address are there, but anyone I write a check to or buy online from have those. Plus with a check, they have my account number too. Pretty much the only useful information one could gain from having my online banking login info is how much money I have. I suppose this could be used to determine whether I am a valuable target for identity theft. Aside from that, I doubt anyone would find my buying habits particularly interesting. I would not panic if I found out anyone got ahold of my online banking login or password. -wes On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 9:07 AM, Michael C. Robinson < [email protected]> wrote: > I don't know how effective this is, but my Paypal account is connected > to a disposable checking account which I keep essentially empty. I > have other accounts that are not connected to Paypal and never > should be. I never do debit transactions online. Stick with Paypal > accepting merchants, Paypal insurance should kick in. > > Online banking is growing, what protection is there if the bad guys get > your login name and password? Online banking allows you to keep close > tabs on your money, but this convenience probably constitutes a risk. > I don't do online banking via blackberry or iphone, so I suppose I'm > somewhat safer than people who do. The problem is, the computer you > access the bank with may save your bank login and password. Another > risk is that someone will install a keylogger instead of stealing > your iphone or blackberry. > > > Yet, I constantly buy stuff online. How do I feel safe? Credit laws. > > See: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud#Cardholder_liability > > > > Use a credit card (don't buy online with a debit card where it > > requires you to enter a PIN) and keep an eye on your statement. If > > there's ever any charges that aren't yours, get them removed and have > > them reissue you a card. > > > > So if you don't end up paying for fraud, who does? The merchant who > > accepted the fraudulent charges does. Ultimately, they should have > > done a better job validating the card and your identity, so they eat > > it. This is one reason CVV2 numbers are used. Merchants are required > > *not* to store these numbers after the transaction has cleared. If > > all merchants do this and use CVV2 numbers, it makes it quite a bit > > harder to reuse a card after a database has been stolen. > > > > HTH, > > tim > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > PLUG mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > _______________________________________________ > PLUG mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
