Text 31080, 44 rader
Skriven 2009-04-10 09:33:36 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
  Kommentar till text 31007 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Bank Security
=====================
Ward Dossche wrote to Robert Bashe on Thursday April 09 2009 at 11:22:

RB>> NO ATM has a alphanumeric keyboard, and since I assume credit/bank
RB>> cards are intended for use everywhere, an alphanumeric ATM PIN would
RB>> be useless in Germany and I can only assume he and Ward are talking
RB>> about something else.

WD> Not me. I follow you completely in this. I travel extensively and
WD> never ever have I seen an ATM with an alphanumeric pad for PIN-code or
WD> even ever heard about it.

In your case, I was referring to the claim that the ATM PIN (stored in part on
the card) could be changed at will. Possibly that can be done in Belgium, but
certainly not in either the USA or Germany. Here, and in the USA, the cards
have a PIN (the part required for generation of the password by the bank
server) that is hard-coded. To change it, you have to replace the card (bank or
VISA/Master). The PIN is delivered to you by separate mail (from the card) and
is printed underneath a blackened section to prevent it from being viewed
without physically opening the form (with scissors). All of my ATM PINs are
four-digit numbers, but I have heard of some banks now issuing cards with
five-digit number ATM PINs.

What you do as far as account access (Internet passwords, PINs, IDs) is
concerned, depends on your specific bank. There are a lot of systems here and
in the USA, and they are getting more complex by the day. Naturally, they CAN
be changed at will by the customer, but that wasn't what I was talking about
the whole time. Only the cards.

RB>> Since the "office" is also where I live, it lies around with the rest
RB>> of the junk on the table. In the 20+ years I've lived here, there has
RB>> never been a burglary, and anyone looking for valuables would take
RB>> the comnputer, screen and printer rather than an old, low-capacity
RB>> USB stick that doesn't look like anything of interest and might cost
RB>> $0.50 nowadays if the small capacity were still sold.

WD> I have a USB-stick who died on me yesterday ...

The USB stick I refer to was given me in or around 2003. Never had any problem
with it, but I do have a replacement in case of such a glitch.

Cheers, Bob

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