Comments on: A Perfectly Reasonable Grievance Pt. II

By: EJ

EJ — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:17:06 +0000

I’m not sure I would go as far as to say it’s usually the “mentally weaker” that fall victim to such crimes.

A couple of local fraud incidences come to mind from the past year – credit card info being stolen from the company that handled the transactions of a restaurant here in town (IHOP I believe?), and the Sams Club cashier that was double-swiping patrons’ credit cards. I don’t think either case depended upon the mental strength of the customers.

I’ve had my debit card info stolen twice in this past year (VISA wouldn’t disclose information but I suspect one was related to the IHOP incident) but still prefer cards over checks. Dan’s right that both checks and cards boil down to an electronic record sitting somewhere waiting to be stolen; but I find some comfort in not having any other human looking at a piece of paper with all the critical data on it (bank account, routing numbers, etc) before it goes electronic.

I’m thankful for the fraud detection systems the credit card companies and banks have employed, they worked for me!

By: "Just here to serve"

"Just here to serve" — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:41:06 +0000

Credit card (includes debit cards) fraud appears to be growing rapidly, especially on a national and international level. However, on a local level, check writing crimes (forgery, deceptive practice) are still king. So in my humble opinion checks are a more risky proposition. That being said, in both cases it is usually the mentally weaker members of the human race who become victims of either crime.

By: John

John — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:35:42 +0000

Great post, Dan. I hate the slow check writers at the grocery store. Especially the people who wait until the very end to fill out their check. The entire check can be filled out in the car before you even enter the store, except for the amount. I mean, Sweet Jesus. And some people act like they’re putting on a calligraphy clinic. It’s a check. Your handwriting doesn’t have to be frigging perfect.

Anyway.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:10:46 +0000

Okay, before we start labeling this a “fluff” site, maybe we should go back and look at all of the investigative reporting I’ve done to expose the Red Hat Society as a nefarious band of cutthroats. That’s serious journalism, my friends.

I do have a question for anyone who might know the answer.

Is a check really safer than a debit card? Your bank, account number, and routing number are all on a check. Isn’t that the information that phishers are always trying to get people to reveal?

And when the grocer store scans the check, that information is stored electronically, just as it is with a debit card. So if that information is compromised, how are check writers safer than debit card users?

Thanks for commenting,
Dan

By: ghfhj

ghfhj — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:00:13 +0000

O.K. Anon19 you made your point. I guess this is a “fluff” site. That explains why there aren’t too many posts on this website.

I retrace my steps and make sure I don’t disturb this little community. I guess Springfield must be a Utopia. The only thing to worry about is a little old lady using her checkbook.

I will leave you with this: that little old lady who inconvenienced you with a checkbook paid her dues to society and deserves a little patience.

And when you have to spend thousands of dollars and hours of time clearing your credit report from a hacker that little old lady will be buying her milk with a more secure check.

By: Anon19

Anon19 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:25:05 +0000

Couldn’t agree with you more BlogFree! There are still a few lonely stragglers that require me to pay via check, but at the grocery store where I’m guaranteed to spend more than whatever cash I’m carrying I can only use my debit card. I too was just recently behind a person writing a check at Super Wal-Mart – on a Sunday afternoon! I guess I’m the crazy one for even attempting a little “quick” shopping at SWM on a Sunday, but the time and trees I could have saved using my debit card was stripped away by the person 3 people ahead of me in line who still uses checks. And, I think it was the cursed carbon-copy type as well. Arrrrgh! (p.s. ghfhj, this was a light n fun blog that everyone can relate to! get over yourself, the world is doomed whether we use debit cards & blog about it or any other topic.)

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:01:30 +0000

Thank you. That really hit the spot. I love our country’s lending institutions.

By: ghfhj

ghfhj — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:37:00 +0000

This might make you feel better: http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa_brings_you/advertising/index.html

This should make you feel so much better while I go back to saving the world.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:28:32 +0000

ghfhj,

It was just a bit of fun. And amidst my pettiness was a defense of the environment. But from here on out, I promise to blog exclusively on the world’s pending destruction and chronic vowel deficiencies in user names selected by the eco-conscious.

Brian and Laura,

You should be ashamed of yourselves for agreeing with me.

Thanks for commenting,
Dan

By: ghfhj

ghfhj — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:14:12 +0000

OMG! In a world that is leaning on self destruction you are worried about an extra few minutes. It is a viable option of payment.

You have been watching too many VISA commercials. I guess they seem to be working.