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      05-18-2019, 05:27 PM   #7
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Drives: Potato
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: USA

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Quote:
Originally Posted by DETRoadster View Post
I dont think it's a password issue. If I had your PayPal account login and password, would I use that info to try to open a credit card account or would I use it to go on a shopping spree with the card you already have linked to your PayPal account?
Fair enough; that’s just my first response when I get any concern.

I have had credit monitoring for several years because it was provided free by the breached companies. I have not had any problems and I really don’t see a lot of advantage to those services (CreditKarma is fine to monitor credit scores, which can be impacted by a breach).

I have only one credit card I use online. If I have any indication it has been breached, I can cancel it and impact all online accounts/merchants immediately. All of my credit cards have instant notification of transactions via text set at $1.00. My wife thinks I’m watching every dime she spends, which is kind of true, but the purpose is to know when something starts, not much later. And since she is prone to leave her card at the merchant or just lose it...

I also maintain multiple bank accounts and do not link them (no overdraft protection). The account I use for all checks and is public facing has a bank-provided $10k cyber/identity protection. So I keep that balance below $10k except briefly before paying for something expensive (new car) or whatever. I can transfer money between accounts via app very quickly, so there is no need to link the accounts and give a perp access to all my banking funds.

I hate debit cards because they have so little protection. I have one linked to a separate checking account in which I keep less than $1,000 so there is money if I need a larger ATM withdrawal but my risk of a stolen/skimmed debit card is tolerable. I never use it for purchases or other transaction other than at my bank’s ATM. My wife uses hers (joint account), so again I watch it closely since she loses things.

Investment accounts are with a different institution and 100% electronic. No paper statements even (from any bank).

I have very few credit accounts because my credit cards are sufficient for all transactions. I almost never use checks (I use the bank’s bill pay service).

I have a work email account and I am pretty strict about that being work only. I have a personal email account that I use for communication with family and friends, and financial institutions, etc. And I have and create/kill other accounts for temporal things like buying or selling cars and other on-line individual transactions (CraigsList, FB Marketplace, etc) although I rarely use those services. All forums I am on use the low-security potentially temporary email accounts - and I use a different login/screen name on most forums.

Through all of these, which evolved over many years to this point, I have minimized the access points to my credit and identity. Another breach could still happen, but I think I have the risk contained within my tolerance.
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