[Thrifty Ray]

Online all the way!!

Think online banking is unsafe? Consider this:

In my prior life, one of the departments I managed was fraud. When someone paid bills online using a KNOWN, secure site there was no fraud.

When someone paid bills via mail....well, here is a story to illustrate what was common:

Member pays cc bill and puts in the mailbox to be picked up (usually this involves a little red flag for the mailman to stop)

Scuzzy criminal (SC) is out looking for little red flags and spots this one. He quickly pulls over and takes the mail. When he gets home, he opens everything a finds the check. PAYDIRT....SC runs over to his computer and, using the information on the check and a $15 program that he got at an office supply store, creates a whole bunch of new blank checks.

** Extra PAYDIRT if member happened to write the CC number in the memo line or if his drivers license number or social security number were imprinted on the check.

SC keeps some of the checks for himself and then trades the rest for drugs...so lots of other SCs can have access to the account to.

Meanwhile, member has no idea anything is amiss until the bank statement arrives and their account is drained.

SC and his druggies go on a spending spree writing checks all over the state...because members credit was so good, the merchants are most happy to accomodate.

Member gets his money back eventually (because of fraud) But three years later, member is still having to prove he is not a lowlife flake to the merchants who took some of those bogus checks.

Something to think about when comparing online to snail mail.

Bottom line- If you do not trust online...trust your mailbox even less. If you must pay through the mail, take the payments directly to the post office or purchase a locking mail box.