Rob101 wrote: Good video to help prevent indentity theft!

And the video still works.

Aside form all that though.......use cash and change your banking password, if you bank online, once every two weeks or so. I know cash seems outdated, but all it take is one instance of identity theft for it to sound like a very good idea.

Helpful information MikeJ. Thanks so much for the additional detail.

Frankn,

I can't speak for Apple Pay but Samsung Pay is great. Because there is no physical contact with the terminal, the payment information isn't getting intercepted. Although it is technically possible for the magnetic transmission itself to be intercepted, it would require some pretty sophisticated equipment to be relatively close to the phone--not that it really matters since the system generates a virtual card number that is essentially useless outside of that transaction anyways. Plus, unlike Apple Pay, which requires NFC terminals, Samsung Pay works at almost all terminals. The only terminals that I've found it not to work at are the insertion-type terminals that are frequently used at gas pumps.

I can, but don't use ApplePay. I generally don't find it more convenient than just swiping the card. I haven't read anywhere that it is any more secure to be honest either.

What are peoples' thoughts on using services like Samsung Pay, which combines a tokenized transaction-specific card number and Magnetic Secure Transmission, to largely eliminate the need to swipe/insert cards/chip cards? I love the convenience that it offers but the fact that it's more secure than swiping a card makes me happy too.

I try to limit storing my credit card information on any website no matter the size or security of the company/website.

Glad you mentioned this ... same thing happened to me three times. I go look up the PayPal Account and find no reason and figured SCAM! Sure is dangerous in this modern world of technology. Oh, I went into PayPal and removed credit cards and banks from my profile. Will handle it on an individual basis and remove information right after transaction. Hope this helps to keep me secure (who really knows until we get the info we have been hacked two years after it happens!).

patse wrote: I always check out the website that I'm shopping on but even the safest ones aren't all that safe. It sure is a scary world out there. I just heard about two friends who were hacked!

I'm sorry to hear about your friends, patse. We really need to be careful about everything. Today I almost trusted an e-mail from PayPal and Yahoo! coming to my inbox (not the spam) asking me to verify my identity, when I noticed something was just weird and I didn't click on anything. These thieves are getting so clever nowadays.

I always check out the website that I'm shopping on but even the safest ones aren't all that safe. It sure is a scary world out there. I just heard about two friends who were hacked!

It gets scarier as the era of digital content grows. A friend once theorized that it's possible to get our personal information when we use our PayPal accounts. I double-checked all websites whenever I had to do online shopping. Now I prefer to buy things manually with cash instead of cards.

My bank cards and banking sites are the financial items I secure as tightly as possible. I can't think of another website I use that has my personal information in it.

How long did it take you to rectify your credit reports?

I had my identity stolen one time many years ago. It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life, not to mention the hassle it was to remove all the items. I continually check my credit reports and have an alert set up to notify when anything new pops up. I only carry one card with me and hardly ever use it online.

Feel the same way ... I keep my cards close and never carry more than two. Switch them around but don't want to risk loosing them or having them stolen. Truth, keeps me on my toes.

I never let my credit card out of my sight, whether using it at home or in another country. In most cases this is easy as the majority of places swipe it at a cash register as you leave, but small restaurants and shops still sometimes have those old machines that may be kept in an office out back somewhere.