>> It is useful to know that, in the US, if you have sufficient information to send a payment into an account you also have sufficient information to debit it.

>> It is useful to know that, in the US, if you have sufficient information to send a payment into an account you also have sufficient information to debit it. Wait, what? The only thing needed to send a payment is a target account number. So, if banks in US consider that enough info to DEBIT the account then something went terribly wrong there. In Europe, to take money out of the account you need to either - go to the bank, and show your photo ID to prove that you're you. - login to online transaction system and prove your identity by knowing the login password and one-time SMS password. That's why many charity institutions simply put their account number on their website and ask for donations - there's zero risk someone will debit their account.