Fraud in
the 21st century, that is to say, fraud today via and thanks to the
internet connection is seeing new dimensions. In fact, close to home, to be
precise, in one of the outskirts of Montreal, data from almost 300 credit cards
was stolen.
What is even
more surprising is the fact that data from these credit cards came from “a
single location in Longueil.” Similar attacks have also been seen in, amongst
others, Vancouver, Brazil, Spain, France, and South Korea.
Since the
beginning of time, change has occurred in various ways, forms, and shapes. And
in the centre of all this change has been the change in technology. Like with
everything, some people will resist change and some will tackle it. The point I
am trying to convey here is that ‘we shouldn’t stop using credit cards,’ just
because we are afraid our credit cards will get hacked for instance. Rather, we
should see what possible solutions are available.
In the case
of credit cards, one may use a “sleeve” for their credit cards. This will
prevent data to be stolen, while you are on the go, because one can easily by
an RFID credit card reader online.
However, to
protect your actual transactions of credit cards, be vigilant of the stores you
are using them at. Make sure they have proper security systems that are not only
protecting your real-time transaction data, but also data they store on you.
It is
important though to point out that even big stores are vulnerable, just take
the Target breach as an example. Nevertheless, you can "still" try to avoid shady gas
stations, depaneurs, and so forth.
All in all,
one should remember, at the end of the day, as we embrace more the “internet of
things,” we are also embracing the “internet of [fraud]” as well. And as we
make all good things in life more and more “SMART,” we are also ‘smartifying’
the bad. "Smart" Thieves today are smart than ever now, and we should
keep up with them!
References:
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