Monday, January 13, 2014

Gypsies tramps and thieves and target

Do you think Target is run by a bunch of gypsies, tramps and thieves? 

I would NOT say that because gypsies and tramps never cause the volume of trouble that Target has. Associating them with Target would be degrading.



cher was a leader in revealing up to the limit


But we have now learned that Target and thieves do go together. The market for stolen credit cards is huge. This article at KrebsonSecurity was an eye opener about the stolen credit market. The online card shop for thieves is described as “remarkably efficient and customer-friendly”.

The biggest immediate problem for me is the hassle of updating the service providers/ utilities we have linked to our card account. Our bank proactively canceled and re-issued us a card. A scary possibility is future ID theft.

The long term problem is we all get to pay for this because the increase costs in security will be passed on the customers eventually.

Anyone out there who can remember when many stores did not take credit cards might remember that Cher sang about gypsies tramps and thieves. (I know of a great hot dog stand that STILLS only takes cash.) Enjoy a little Cher and Carol Burnett.


17 comments:

Joanne said...

Credit was so much easier when it was harder to use. I'm lumping debit cards in mix. We've convenienced ourselves into quite the quagmire.

lisleman said...

"convenienced ourselves into quite the quagmire" - that's a good one. Smartphone bill paying and handling will just make it worse.
thanks

Bearman Cartoons said...

I love how on the airlines you can't even buy a snack/drink with cash anymore

Dawn Saros-Kirk said...

Two of my favorites, Cher and Carol Burnett! That whole stolen credit business is so scary. Why do some people have to ruin it for everyone? Yeah, I know, money.

lisleman said...

Yes, money. However I think many of these criminals don't care at all for others or what harm they cause.
thanks

lisleman said...

One reason for that was cash would often disappear before it made it's way to the airline. I can remember back to when getting free snacks and drinks were not that unusual. If they need to charge why not just let you run a tab like they do at hotels.
thanks

Joanna Jenkins said...

The hole Target thing (and now Neiman Marcus) is very scary. All I can hope is that it's brought the fraud issues very much to the front of the conversation so actions can be taken. Fingers crossed.
Sorry you were hassled. Changing cards and auto payments is a pain.
Happy New Year, jj

Dawn Saros-Kirk said...

I totally agree, they have no regard for other people. Sad.

lisleman said...

thanks - it is a hassle but not as bad as ID theft. I also hope better actions will be taken.

Gorilla Bananas said...

I still only take cash for services I offer. Nice to see Cher in her pre-surgery days.

Cheryl P. said...

I had my credit card number stolen and used a year or so ago. Major PITA. The credit card company took off the charges but it still has to get reported to the police and a report has to be generated. Everything continues to become more complicated. I am always cynical when any company preaches that their payment system is "secure". Nothing seems to be totally secure.

Here in KC..more companies are accepting Bitcoin as payment. I don't understand that but I have to think there is going to be a way for someone to make a mess out of it.

lisleman said...

depending where and what the offering that can make sense. Cher has strange fashion flair but her acting in a few movies was great. thanks

lisleman said...

I agree about the PITA. I think companies could make things more secure if they wanted to. Oh maybe I should write a post on Bitcoin. I would stay away from that one at least for now.
thanks

Secret Agent Woman said...

I remember the Cher song, but don't really remember that store used to not take credit.

lisleman said...

I think I have a few years on you. I remember grocery stores not taking credit until not about the 80's (?). Department stores did for a long but grocery stores were cash or check for a longer time.
thanks

Lilly said...

Cash? What's that? I am unsure what happened did somehow Target lose customer's credit card details? We go about our life trusting people, companies etc. don't trust anyone is my motto. Sad but true.

lisleman said...

Thanks for browsing over here. Cash - it might be making a comeback after this Target hacking crime. I often write a post assuming the reader will know what event/thing/story I'm referring to. Actually I'm not sure if Target has stores Down Under. If you were to write about a big Australian chain store I would probably not understand many references. At the same time this difference adds to the fun of blogging, learning other cultures.

Back to the story, Between November 27th and December 15th, 2013, retail giant Target fell victim to a sophisticated hack that claimed about 40 MILLION credit card accounts.

This was so big that Target was called into a congressional hearing. I bothers me that their management allowed it go on for so long. The suspicion is that they didn't want to announce it because it would ruin business in the holiday season.

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