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It's definitely a brilliant smokescreen. The credit agencies/banks/insurance companies that fail to secure your personal data can blame you and call you a victi

by S_A_P 8y ago

It's definitely a brilliant smokescreen. The credit agencies/banks/insurance companies that fail to secure your personal data can blame you and call you a victim instead of admitting negligence...

jjeaff 8y ago
They are still required to fix things and return your money. If someone "steals" your identity, and then shows up at the bank and withdraws your money, the bank will be on the hook for that loss, not you.
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  It's not that simple. There are superficial barriers and hoops in place which make the chances of you not getting your money back non-zero. Not to mention, it will at the very minimum inconvenience you and waste your time. Credit cards are less problematic in this area, but when it's a bank account / debit card, there tend to be fairly agressive deadlines for identifying the fraudulent activity and contesting it as well as arbitrary processes, forms, and reviews unique to each the bank. In the interim you don't have the funds - for many people living paycheck to paycheck this can be a catastrophic situation. I recently had to go through this process with a debit card someone on the other side of the country had fraudulently charged $500 to. Due to my being in the midst of leaving for a long bout of travel, it was a nightmare to get the protest documented on time, and my bank suddenly required all sorts of exceptional identifying documents they never require in the course of regular business, requiring me to jump through a number of additional hoops like accessing my safe deposit box to retrieve my passport - when I wasn't even in the same state at the time. It all just added more delays to the process. As far as I could tell, the bank was treating me as the potential criminal. They were operating under the assumption that I, the victim, am actually the perpetrator attempting to commit fraud. Through this lens, the process being frustrating and inconvenient to the customer appears advantageous, as it all increases the odds of them failing/giving up.
  - fjsolwmv 8y ago
    Your bank was just trying to figure out which of two internet strangers not in your home territory was the real you. Someone using your card isn't the main problem with "identity" theft. That's a minor issue. If it's more than a few hundred bucks you'll notice immediately. Someone getting a loan or a social security card benefits or health insurance or tax refund or committing a felony in your name is the major issue, which can run your life with you not even knowing for possibly years.
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      Did you even read the parent comment I was replying to?
  - jjeaff 8y ago
    I've had issues like this multiple times. But have never felt like I had to prove my innocence. I recommend using a smaller bank. It's a lot harder to mistreat your customers when you know their face.

by S_A_P 8y ago

It's definitely a brilliant smokescreen. The credit agencies/banks/insurance companies that fail to secure your personal data can blame you and call you a victim instead of admitting negligence...

jjeaff 8y ago

They are still required to fix things and return your money. If someone "steals" your identity, and then shows up at the bank and withdraws your money, the bank will be on the hook for that loss, not you.

newnewpdro 8y ago
It's not that simple. There are superficial barriers and hoops in place which make the chances of you not getting your money back non-zero. Not to mention, it will at the very minimum inconvenience you and waste your time. Credit cards are less problematic in this area, but when it's a bank account / debit card, there tend to be fairly agressive deadlines for identifying the fraudulent activity and contesting it as well as arbitrary processes, forms, and reviews unique to each the bank. In the interim you don't have the funds - for many people living paycheck to paycheck this can be a catastrophic situation. I recently had to go through this process with a debit card someone on the other side of the country had fraudulently charged $500 to. Due to my being in the midst of leaving for a long bout of travel, it was a nightmare to get the protest documented on time, and my bank suddenly required all sorts of exceptional identifying documents they never require in the course of regular business, requiring me to jump through a number of additional hoops like accessing my safe deposit box to retrieve my passport - when I wasn't even in the same state at the time. It all just added more delays to the process. As far as I could tell, the bank was treating me as the potential criminal. They were operating under the assumption that I, the victim, am actually the perpetrator attempting to commit fraud. Through this lens, the process being frustrating and inconvenient to the customer appears advantageous, as it all increases the odds of them failing/giving up.
- fjsolwmv 8y ago
  Your bank was just trying to figure out which of two internet strangers not in your home territory was the real you. Someone using your card isn't the main problem with "identity" theft. That's a minor issue. If it's more than a few hundred bucks you'll notice immediately. Someone getting a loan or a social security card benefits or health insurance or tax refund or committing a felony in your name is the major issue, which can run your life with you not even knowing for possibly years.
  - newnewpdro 8y ago
    Did you even read the parent comment I was replying to?
- jjeaff 8y ago
  I've had issues like this multiple times. But have never felt like I had to prove my innocence. I recommend using a smaller bank. It's a lot harder to mistreat your customers when you know their face.