Online fraud

[Nick]

I didn't realise that PayPal was set up as a Direct Debit. Had I known that I would have just cancelled it myself. Always just thought it transferred money from my account to PayPal at my request.

It can do it that way or if you have your debit card linked.

I removed my bank account as it was lethal.

 

[Otis]

It can do it that way or if you have your debit card linked.

I removed my bank account as it was lethal.

Yeah, I agree. Think I always used to go into PayPal and pay that way, but at some point I must have linked my bank account.

 

[rob9872]

If you can post up your card details (including 3 numbers on the reverse), name address and date of birth, I can probably sort this out for you.

 

[Otis]

If you can post up your card details (including 3 numbers on the reverse), name address and date of birth, I can probably sort this out for you.

You're welcome to them, Rob, there's no money left in the account.

 

[Captain Dart]

You're welcome to them, Rob, there's no money left in the account.

Surely the bank will give you a juicy overdraft if Rob asks nicely.

 

[shmmeee]

Mmmmm... how many people have the password, is it complex enough, definitely don't use a dictionary word use a garbage string and stick some punctuation chars in (!"£$%^&*).

This is really bad advice.

It’s length that matters, not complexity. A password like you suggest is the worst of both worlds, hard for you to remember and easy for a computer to brute force.

Best strategy is to pick three random words and make them different for each site. Or use a password manager and create random ones that are saved, but that doesn’t work if you go across a lot of devices.

 

[Otis]

Which is what I do.

 

[Captain Dart]

This is really bad advice.

It’s length that matters, not complexity. A password like you suggest is the worst of both worlds, hard for you to remember and easy for a computer to brute force.

Best strategy is to pick three random words and make them different for each site. Or use a password manager and create random ones that are saved, but that doesn’t work if you go across a lot of devices.

Actually I use extremely long passwords for anything financially sensitive.
Did I say make passwords short, did I say base them on a real word, no I didn't, did i I say I use a password manager, well yes I did.
I'm pretty sure some brute force algorithms use dictionaries, and possibly try well known substitutions like 1 for i & 3 for e too.
Frankly there is a lot of conflicting advice out there. I guess you are referring to this article Password guru regrets past advice

 

[Otis]

I always use the Beatles and the Beach Boy members and as my favourite number is 4 and I live at number 71, I always use a combination of them, so lennon0471, wilson7104, starr004071,brianjohn714 etc.

No-one will ever crack them!

 

[duffer]

Fwiw my PayPal account uses two-factor authorisation, i.e. it sends a code to my mobile number after I've signed in, which I also have to enter to confirm a transaction. It's definitely a lot more secure, but in truth I don't know if it's used to set up regular payments as well as one-off purchases. If you can use it for things, I'd recommend it strongly.

It's an ugly world out there in terms of online fraud, easy pickings for criminals because of the scale you can operate at and the fact that it's difficult to make an arrest.

On the back of this I think I'll go away and do some double-checking myself!

 

[Grendel]

My wife was looking for a 2nd hand iphone for our son and found a place online that sold reconditioned ones and bought one. It never arrived so she contacted them and they apologised and refunded the money. 2 months later a payment of £60 was taken off the same credit card she used and when she queried it with the bank it had come from the same company & the bank refunded her the money. A month later another payment of £360 was taken off her credit card from the same company and again she queried it and it was refunded and her bank cancelled her credit card and issued her a new one. I don't understand how fraudsters think they are going to get away with doing this, they seem to have a legit company with an address, email, phone etc but surely they are eventually going to get caught, maybe they hope that not everyone notices the odd payment on their cards and they make plenty of money that way, scumbags!!

Well your last sentence is it. I never check my accounts hardly at all. I did a direct debit "health check" the other week and a couple of insurances on things I no longer owned.

 

[Joe King]

My password is simple. It's the word, "incorrect". So every time I log in to anything and type the wrong password, I get the reminder message "Your password is incorrect"! :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

 

[Gazolba]

Anyone else suffered with it?

A while back my missus had someone buy an iPad and a laptop from our Groupon account and now tonight I have just had three messages from Paypal saying I have requested the transfers from my bank account to my PayPal account of £2,000, £2,000 and £2,000.

Considering I only have £16.29 in my account I think they're not going to be able to pull this one off, but these things are bloody annoying, the amount of work and clearing up you have to do. Grrr!!

Change all your passwords.

 

[Otis]

Change all your passwords.

Already done.

 

[skybluegod]

Already done.

Yes but change all your passwords :banghead: