Online banking in Oz uses SMS codes to your mobile to verify new account debits/changes....works just fine...

Jafo

reply 16

Online banking in Oz uses SMS codes to your mobile to verify new account debits/changes....works just fine...

Until somebody swipes yer phone!  Which can and does happen.

I recall reading about a Sydney woman whose phone was stolen... a couple of hours later her bank account was emptied and several online accounts from which she made purchases were compromised, booking up some rather large bills to her accounts.

Smart people don't do their banking and purchasing from a cell phone that isn't even password protected and operates, unencrypted, on easily intercepted wireless frequencies.

And that will be me.  I don't even do email via Mobile...

Don't have to be stupid or careless to get your phone hacked/unlocked these days.

At the insistence of her husband, the woman in question had security measures in place for that very event - her phone being stolen - yet the thieves still managed to crack the unlock code and the encryption used to protect her data.

You don't have to.  Various email accounts are synched these days, meaning that whatever you do on your home PC with regard to email is also on your phone.  The smart thing is not to synch accounts over your devices.  I don't, well not with the important ones.  The email account I use for purchases and the like is on just my home PC... and I NEVER do phone banking or do any debit card transactions over the phone.  All my phone has on it are a few apps and a contacts list.... and there's nothing much in there, unless they wanna ring somebody who could talk under water with a mouthful of marbles.

No it ain't....like I said, I do NOT do email on my Mobile...I haven't even set it up....never will....simply because I get too much of it on a daily basis.

Calls....photos....text....and the odd Google search.

That's it.

That's what I said....

The reason... no matter how secure you think your phone is [lock codes and all that crap] if some hacker fech wants to access it they CAN and WILL do.

The best way I see of avoiding all of this is to not use the technology.............but then I'm a old fart and can easily get away with doing that, I also take a lot of naps during the day to make sure I'm not too tired when I go to bed.          

Seriously though as others have said above, no matter what actions and protections you take with using the technology of today someone will be right there to get around it and get access to your information.  At some point in time each and everyone of us will be attacked, as it were.  Get over it, use the technology intelligently and go about your day.

That's about the strength of it.  I'm sure hackers and people of dubious intent sit around trying to devise ways to circumvent security protocols before they're even invented/implemented.  It'd go something like this: "Well if they come up with this then we'll do that... and if they do that, then we'll do this."

The fact is, modern technology is open to a multitude of abuses and nobody is safe - corporations and gov't agencies with the best encryptions available have even been hacked - so it seems the more simple you keep it the safer you're likely to be.  That isn't to say one shouldn't take precautions, but rather that it is safer not to synch one's personal and/or sensitive data across [particularly wireless] devices.  In other words, use your phone as a phone and not a multi-function computing device.

Before all this hi tech world, the thieves, swindlers and grifters had to actually meet you face to face to rob you.  Now, they can get you when you are just doing day to day activities, from almost anywhere in the world.  Paying cash is getting more attractive all the time.  I dread the day when all currency goes digital. 

Well that was one way ElanaAhova , but much like today they would steal your mail from you mailbox or actually go through your garbage to see if they could find financial information.  Methods have changed but the end result is the same.  The big difference today is most folks find out about it rather quickly, that never happened before high tech, you would have debt collectors knocking on your door with no idea what they were talking about.

I opt to do this unless I'm doing an online purchase.  I never use my card in a bricks n' mortar store, it's always cash.

Me too!  As it is we have digital music; digital video; digital games; digital photos; digital sex.

Oh, wait... wouldn't digital sex come under games?

But yeah, I know what you mean.  Living in a digital world has its advantages, but it is also fraught with danger.

Slowly but surely, people are discovering that paying in cash has its benefits.

http://drjbhl.joeuser.com/article/457864/You_should_use_cash_to_pay_for_things_when_possible

I've always done it... that way I can keep track of what I've spent and what I have left without having to add up receipts.

I only use my card for purchases with online stores I trust [about 4 or 5 of them] and that's it.... and then it's not very often.  In fact, we have a thing here in Oz called B-Pay where one can pay bills and accounts directly through their bank accout, and these days that's my preferred method of payment as it eliminates card usage and details over the net.

Anyhow, Doc, things are looking up and Bianca and I may have a house not too far from here.  We should hopefully know within the week or so. We had a look at it yesterday and it's an older Queensland style house conveniently located near to shops and amenities, so it will suit our needs well.  While things were pretty low a while back and I was feeling somewhat depressed, I have bounced back and am getting on top of it again.  BTW, Shaunna referred me to an organisation that's helping me with managing depression and anxiety issues better, so I'm on the mend despite the hard knocks of 3 months ago.

Smart old starkers ye be.

As for the rest? You made my day with all that good news! So happy to hear, Mark!