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'1731, 2033, 9854' blog discussion

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This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.
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I started doing this after paying in an empty post office with my 3 year old sat on the counter, as I put my pin number in, she read the numbers out! Bless her....!
I just wish the pads were all the same design. Sometimes it's difficult to know if the top row is function keys or numbers.
The best bet is to go for the "5", as all chip and pin handsets (and incidentally almost all keypads) have some sort of bump on them, making it easier to find the other numbers.
Ever since, I cover my hand with my wallet, it's out anyway so I may as well use it !
You say "One more common form of card crime is watching the pin number then mugging someone for the card once they know the number". How common exactly? Let's have some evidence.
Admittedly at a cashpoint but my mother (70) had her card stolen about 2 months ago. 2 individuals behind her, it appears, one watching the numbers she put in and the other watching her card. As she was waiting for her card to come out one of them tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she had dropped a £5 note - as she bent down to pick it up thinking it had come out of her pocket the other took her card. She noticed almost immediatley and managed to get into her bank within 15 minutes to stop the card. By this time they had already taken £200 from her account and would have taken more if she didn't have a daily limit oon cash withdrawals. Luckily the bank staff were excellent shame we couldn't say that about the very unhelpful PCSO at the local station who tried to tell her a crime hadn't been committed:eek:
Started doing this only a few weeks ago when there was a post on the Credit Card forum about a poor lady who fell victim to people watching her enter pin number. They stole her bag, withdrew £500 cash and the bank wouldn't accept it was a crime, because she's responsible for inadvertently giving them the PIN.
Scary stuff.
And an easy way-out for Credit Card companies to stop them having to pay compensation. Unless of course you take out their 'fraud insurance'.
'Proud To Be Dealing With My Debts':cool: