Category Archives: Aite Group

Buyers Beware of Tampered Gift Cards

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Prepaid gift cards make popular presents and no-brainer stocking stuffers, but before you purchase one be on the lookout for signs that someone may have tampered with it. A perennial scam that picks up around the holidays involves thieves who pull back and then replace the decals that obscure the card’s redemption code, allowing them to redeem or transfer the card’s balance online after the card is purchased by an unwitting customer. Continue reading Buyers Beware of Tampered Gift Cards→

Simple Banking Security Tip: Verbal Passwords

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There was a time when I was content to let my bank authenticate me over the phone by asking for some personal identifiers (SSN/DOB) that are broadly for sale in the cybercrime underground. At some point, however, I decided this wasn’t acceptable for institutions that held significant chunks of our money, and I began taking our business away from those that wouldn’t let me add a simple verbal passphrase that needed to be uttered before any account details could be discussed over the phone. Continue reading Simple Banking Security Tip: Verbal Passwords→

Skimmers Found at Walmart: A Closer Look

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Recent local news stories about credit card skimmers found in self-checkout lanes at some Walmart locations reminds me of a criminal sales pitch I saw recently for overlay skimmers made specifically for the very same card terminals. Continue reading Skimmers Found at Walmart: A Closer Look→