Originally posted by babloyi
With all this repetition about "stealing from the average joe", I think it might do good to clarify (what many people have already said here,
although their words may be falling through the cracks,) that...
The "Average Joe" isn't going to lose any money. Since all the names stolen from were reported, the cardholders AREN'T the ones who will pay.
It'll be the credit card companies.
It's a little more complex than that. First of all, the average Joe (that would be me) has to realize the problem, cancel the card, get any erroneous
charges reversed, and undergo the hassle of getting a new card. Secondly, not having a card is not an option on the Internet. There are many places
where a card is the only option for payment. You can't just send a check, or if you can, you undergo a lengthy delay. Third, it is NOT the credit
card companies who will pay. They will reverse the "donations" these jerks made so that the charities will wind up without the money.
This is a really important point that some folks obviously don't get. The credit card companies will reverse these charges. The Red Cross doesn't
get to keep this money they fraudulently received.
If you have ever had your card compromised, you will know what a hassle it is. It's not just the sums involved. It costs money to fix this stuff, if
not in $$ then in time spent squaring everything away. I don't know about you, but my time is worth money. Obviously the consumer can take steps to
minimize risk.
1) Never store a card. This is easier said than done. For some toll roads, for example, if you want a "Good to Go" Pass, a card is required, or you
will spend twice as much on tolls to do it manually.
2) get a very low-limit card. This limits your liability. You don't want to use a card with a $25,000 limit.
3) Get online access to your card information. I was able to call up my card account and verify the latest charges made to it. If you don't bother
with online access, you really don't have access to real-time information. I was able to cancel my card before "anonymous" got a chance to dictate
which charities they decided I should donate to.
Ironically, this kind of attack will make security stronger. Certainly Stratfor will not make this kind of mistake again, and ATS has been very stable
these last few years since they were taken down by someone who basically just didn't like ATS.
Frankly, it angers me when some young punks try to dictate to me that I should not use a credit card because that benefits the banks. If you want
something so badly that you have to have it before you can afford it and use a card to get it, i.e.: Borrow monery to get the latest iPod, then the
bank DESERVES a cut because you can't seem to restrain yourself to wait until you have the money to buy it. But people are quite capable of using
credit wisely. Wanna know how much interest I've paid to credit card companies in the last, say, ten years? Zero.
I think it is a serious mistake to just say Stratfor is a Bad Guy(tm) because you say they are, therefore they deserve this. As a customer I can make
this case because they didn't do a very good job of protecting themselves and me, but the bottom line is that this is a small business that employees
a couple dozen people. If this kind of small business is to "deserve" attack, what about you? You work for someone, don't you? If not, your Daddy
does. How about let's take you down next? I'll just sit out here and make a 'moral judgment' about you because I don't like your attitude, which
you've expressed here. In other words,
you are next.