dspeed@well.uucp (Dave Speed) (09/11/90)
I had the pleasure of being lectured on voice mail today by a Pac Tel employee. She informed our group that we would need to choose a "password" for our mail boxes and suggested that it would be easy if you used the PIN from your bank ATM account. Thankfully most present didn't know what a PIN was. I brought the issue up that this was terrible security and that Bell was courting disaster with recommending this activity. She didn't see the problem. On a similar note, our local <Sacramento, CA> grocery chain has installed pseudo ATM's for banking from the checkout line. Perhaps I'm paranoid, but I don't see any advantage (to *me*) in giving the merchant my bank number and PIN. Am I being silly ?
john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) (09/13/90)
Dave Speed <dspeed@well.uucp> writes: > On a similar note, our local <Sacramento, CA> grocery chain has > installed pseudo ATM's for banking from the checkout line. Perhaps I'm > paranoid, but I don't see any advantage (to *me*) in giving the > merchant my bank number and PIN. Am I being silly ? I think so. ATM card-accepting merchants are quite common here. I personally find it to be convenient and a more acceptable way to transact business than cash, check, or credit card. Are you worried that the merchant will drain all of your money out of your account while you aren't looking? Do you think that he is capturing all those PINs in the back room so that he can retire to Tahiti? I would lay odds that the merchant does not record your PIN, which is normally simply sent along with the rest of the encrypted transaction to the banking center or network. Get used to ATM-style transactions. It's a happening thing. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
carroll@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Jeff Carroll) (09/18/90)
In article <12066@accuvax.nwu.edu> John Higdon <john@bovine.ati.com> writes: (Advocacy of POS terminal transactions) >Get used to ATM-style transactions. It's a happening thing. Another concern about POS terminals and ATMs which is related to security is the question of whether the ATM card constitutes the Mark of the Beast. :^) Followups to talk.religion.misc (or alt.flame). Jeff Carroll carroll@atc.boeing.com