[steveismyman]

I just got this mail from a website named http://www.portable-paradise.com claiming that I have won an iBook in a random draw from an email-list. To get it I have to give out my debitcard-number and PIN (credit cards not accepted "at this point"), all within 72 hours. Anyone else got this? It is sent to an email address I have only used with apple.com, so that's where they've gotten it.

The whole thing strikes me as a scam, obviously. Anyone else gotten this? How would a scammer use this information? Any clues on how have they gotten hold of this particular email address?

[scaught]

gotten.

Originally posted by steveismyman:
I just got this mail from a website named http://www.portable-paradise.com claiming that I have won an iBook in a random draw from an email-list. To get it I have to give out my debitcard-number and PIN (credit cards not accepted "at this point"), all within 72 hours. Anyone else got this? It is sent to an email address I have only used with apple.com, so that's where they've gotten it.

They probably didn't "get it" from anywhere. They could have randomly generated a list of <names>@yourdomain.com

The whole thing strikes me as a scam, obviously. Anyone else gotten this?

Others have gotten this.

How would a scammer use this information?

Gee, what would a scammer do with your debit card number and PIN?

Any clues on how have they gotten hold of this particular email address?

Yep, it could have been generated from a dictionary of names. If you've never posted that address anywhere, then that is probably where it came from.

[Scifience]

How would a scammer use this information?

Quote of the week!

[pooka]

Yeah, this could be a scam. Thanks for the heads up. To show my appreciation I'll do you a favor in return. FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. I work for a debit card protection facility in Nigeria. Since the scammer was clever enough to find your email address its also possible that he was able to get your debit account info. Feel free to PM me with your debit card info and I'll run it through our encryption engine so you don't have to worry about these kinds of things in the future. Include your PIN so I can verify that the encryption was successful.

[itistoday]

Originally posted by pooka:
Yeah, this could be a scam. Thanks for the heads up. To show my appreciation I'll do you a favor in return. FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. I work for a debit card protection facility in Nigeria. Since the scammer was clever enough to find your email address its also possible that he was able to get your debit account info. Feel free to PM me with your debit card info and I'll run it through our encryption engine so you don't have to worry about these kinds of things in the future. Include your PIN so I can verify that the encryption was successful.

Could you do mine too? Check your PMs, I just sent it to you.

[Landos Mustache]

Anyone stupid enough to fall for this deserves to lose their money.

[Misanthrope]

Originally posted by Landos Mustache:
Anyone stupid enough to fall for this deserves to lose their money.

PayPal @ [email protected] kthxbye

[ryaxnb]

I' adding that to my sig!

[Luca Rescigno]

Durr.

Even the bank tellers don't ask for my PIN. Right after I got my account (it was my first account), I did a transaction and started to tell them my PIN but they said, "No no! Don't tell us, you enter it on the keypad."

Total scam, duh.

[Mrs_Vod[k]a]

Mr. Nigerian man, would u pleez check my debit card? My number is 234327463827463872398409324632874687623q8423874632 7846283746463242343724238, It's a Switch card, and my pin is

[Gankdawg]

Normally I'm not cruel, but if you have to post this type of question here to find out if someone wanting your debit card and pin number is a scam, you deserved to be scammed.

[Amorya]

Why would they need your pin?

You don't have to enter the pin to buy something with a debit card, only to withdraw cash from an ATM. And that requires an actual physical card. I'm assuming if they want the numbers they'd be using it on the net... so why the pin?

Amorya

Originally posted by Amorya:
Why would they need your pin?

You don't have to enter the pin to buy something with a debit card, only to withdraw cash from an ATM. And that requires an actual physical card. I'm assuming if they want the numbers they'd be using it on the net... so why the pin?

Amorya

Uhm... since when don't you need a pin? Everywhere I've ever been required me to type my PIN into the little keypad.

Are you thinking of a credit card? A debit card is an ATM card - you always need your PIN.

[Amorya]

Originally posted by hayesk:
Uhm... since when don't you need a pin? Everywhere I've ever been required me to type my PIN into the little keypad.

Are you thinking of a credit card? A debit card is an ATM card - you always need your PIN.

No, I'm definitely thinking of a debit card.

When I use mine in the shops, it requires a signature. That's all. And when I use it on the net, it needs the number, my name and the card expiry date.

It's definitely a debit card. I've had it since I was 16, and without a job I doubt I'd be able to get a credit card

Amorya

[iT4c0]

Maybe England is a bit different than US. I think you need to enter pin number every single time no matter where you use your debit card. credit card however is different story. OH, and i think you can not use the pin number online and they need the actual card to withdraw the money from the account. Therefore, i have no idea why they want your pin number. Correct me if I am wrong.

[steveismyman]

I'm happy you all got a laugh out of the question. But on a more serious note, how come they don't accept credit cards? One would think that a scammer would have more use for that than a debit card.

And then there�s the PIN. Why would they need that? The only reason I can see is if they'd actually make cards to withdraw money at ATMs. Kind of elaborate if you ask me.

As for the email address, it was created by me to be used exclusively for transactions with Apple (on my own domain). I suppose it could have been randomly generated, but what are the odds?

Originally posted by iT4c0:
Maybe England is a bit different than US. I think you need to enter pin number every single time no matter where you use your debit card. credit card however is different story. OH, and i think you can not use the pin number online and they need the actual card to withdraw the money from the account. Therefore, i have no idea why they want your pin number. Correct me if I am wrong.

Yeah, England definitely has something different than North America. In the US and Canada you need to type your PIN to use it. You also can't use your debit card online.

If they have your bank card number they can manufacture a card with your bank card number on it. Your bank card is just a piece of plastic with its number encoded on the magnetic strip. It would be easy to copy if you have the right equipment. All they need is the number to make the fake card, and your PIN to withdraw money. It is very easy to do.

There's another scam going around where the scammers stick a little plastic device right next to the card slot on an ATM. It reads your number as you slide your card in, and there's a little pinhole camera in it that records you typing your PIN. The thieves then manufacture fake cards based on the data recorded, then they clean out the accounts. If you ever see something attached to an ATM beside the card slot - no matter how professional looking it is - don't use it and tell the bank.

[Mohammed Atef]

Originally posted by hayesk:
Yeah, England definitely has something different than North America. In the US and Canada you need to type your PIN to use it. You also can't use your debit card online.

hmm. I've used my visa debit card in London and with UK sites no problem.

[Amorya]

Originally posted by hayesk:
Yeah, England definitely has something different than North America. In the US and Canada you need to type your PIN to use it. You also can't use your debit card online.

One thing I like about my card is that online stores can't tell if it's a debit or credit card. It comes up at their end as a generic Visa card... I've used it to make purchases from American websites many times, with much success. Even to order a computer from Apple!

I guess it must be transatlantic differences.

Amorya

[soul searching]

I think some of you are thinking of a check card when speaking of a debit card (only). You can use a check card as a regular credit card or as a debit card. When you use a check card as a credit card the sellers don't check for any sort of identification. (Ever seen the silly Visa check card tv spots?) To use it as a debit card (and potentially get money back!) at an ATM or the super market, you'll need the PIN.

[talisker]

Originally posted by Amorya:
Why would they need your pin?

You don't have to enter the pin to buy something with a debit card, only to withdraw cash from an ATM. And that requires an actual physical card. I'm assuming if they want the numbers they'd be using it on the net... so why the pin?

Amorya

I'm afraid the UK is about 200 million years (or thereabouts) behind the rest of the developed world on this one. In most of the rest of Europe, North America and Australasia you don't sign when you buy something with your debit (ie Switch) card, you swipe and type in your PIN. In fact here in New Zealand you can use it for buying virtually anything, even in bars etc. I believe there's some UK trial of the system happening soon, but don't hold your breath.

[craniac]

Originally posted by iT4c0:
Maybe England is a bit different than US.

Perhaps the English system is similar to the South African one. Here we have 3 types of cards. ATM cards issued by banks that can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs. Some of these can be used to purchase goods at selected stores, mainly supermarkets. Then there are credit cards, issued by the banks under the auspices of the credit cards companies like Visa and Mastercard. These can be used at most businesses and as someone said earlier merely require you to sign the slip. They can also be encoded with a PIN and used to draw cash from ATMs. Finally there are debit cards. These look just like and are used in the same way as credit cards. However they do not give a line of credit but deduct the funds directly from a linked bank account, usually a current (cheque) account. As far as I know, the businesses you tender them to are not even aware of whether the card is a credit or debit card.

[- - e r i k - -]

This post is shareware. If you have read and enjoyed this posting, please see the bottom of my sig.

[JonoG4]

Originally posted by Amorya:
One thing I like about my card is that online stores can't tell if it's a debit or credit card. It comes up at their end as a generic Visa card... I've used it to make purchases from American websites many times, with much success. Even to order a computer from Apple!

I guess it must be transatlantic differences.

Amorya

I have one of those cards from PayPal. It's a debit card that can act as a MasterCard credit card. :-)

[Gankdawg]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
This post is shareware. If you have read and enjoyed this posting, please see the bottom of my sig.

You might get more tips if you spell Consider correctly.

[Link]

Actually here in the US 'checkcards' have become a huge fad.

You walk into store, buy stuff, slide card, and have a choice:

1. Hit debit button, enter pin number. Easily done.
2. Hit credit button: need signature.

In some places they'll just run it through as a regular credit card. All cards that can be used at both an ATM and at 'select' stores in the US are somehow ran through a bank (either VISA or mastercard) which will happily work as a credit card OR debit card

You can buy stuff online and use it as a credit card, of course.

There's also standard ATM cards. No 'credit card' or 'debit card' use.

And of course the traditional credit card, of course in the US you can do "cash advances" where you go to an ATM and get cold hard cash, of course you can get charged fees with this BUT you do need a pin.

The best way to do that is to go into a store, buy something cheap (candy or something) with the card, and just use cash back method since they raise the total instead of a 'cash advance' lol.

Ill side effect is in some stores (namely fast food places) they charge a 'convinience fee' for using debit or credit cards. Practically every mcdonalds, pizza hut, taco bell, burger king, etc joint out here has an ATM system where either you get a recipt you take to the cashier or you just hand them the card + enter a pin... they even have drive-through versions now lol.

I love it, in the extent that you never have to have cash in your wallet, but it's a double edged sword because any theif with enough knowledge will take your wallet, and the card, and as quickly as they can: will rack up a nice bit of charges BUT most companies will reimburse you for these if you report your card stolen.

Honestly there's no argument: it's safer as longa aas you choose the right bank. Only problem is those ****ing convinience fees, so pick your usage wisely!!

I myself enjoy it, as people look at me funny, sometimes even ask to see my ID because I don't look nearly old enough to have a card

[Agasthya]

Originally posted by steveismyman:
I'm happy you all got a laugh out of the question. But on a more serious note, how come they don't accept credit cards? One would think that a scammer would have more use for that than a debit card.

And then there�s the PIN. Why would they need that? The only reason I can see is if they'd actually make cards to withdraw money at ATMs. Kind of elaborate if you ask me.

As for the email address, it was created by me to be used exclusively for transactions with Apple (on my own domain). I suppose it could have been randomly generated, but what are the odds?

Because credit card companies hate losing money. So if the scammers used your credit card and then you reported it stolen, MBNA (or whoever your credit card company is) would hunt them down to the corners of the world and get their money back.

The debit card on the other hand is YOUR cash. There pretty much isn't a damn thing you can do about it after they've stolen from you.

I don't think under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE you should be in a position to give out such confidential information in an email. If you have to do it online, and the vender is legitimate, they will always provide you with a secure page.

And always remember the saying: "If it seems too good to be true, it usually is."

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
You might get more tips if you spell Consider correctly.

Consider this:

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
You might get more tips if you spell Consider correctly.

So how's your Norwegian then, Mr Smartypants?

[Gankdawg]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
So how's your Norwegian then, Mr Smartypants?

It's terrible, but we are posting in English. And BTW, Mr should have a period after it!