[lug] Reasons to wipe drive (was Re: drive free space "wiper" recommendation)

[bgiles]

Banks have externalized the costs and will spend billions of dollars to 
keep it that way.  Why not - why should they accept the cost to "do 
things right" if they can do nothing and continue pushing the cost onto 
you?  What are you going to do, go to another bank?  So long and don't 
let the door hit you on the ass - the modest money they make from any 
one person isn't worth the hassles.

Signatures are highly overrated - the average person would have a hard 
time pulling out a bogus signature if they saw a sample of everything I 
signed for a few months, even if you take out the touchpad signatures.  
(Hint: if it's legible it's not me.)

On the other stuff a photo might not cost much to take, but what are 
they going to do about it.  Again, do you think the bank really cares?  
If possible it's going to try to externalize the cost and put the burden 
on you.  If not that it will probably decide it's cheaper to take the 
hit than to investigate, much less prosecute, your average crime.  It's 
not like they're likely to get any money back from the crook anyway.

If that means the thief gets away with it since you aren't the legal 
victim (if you're compensated by the bank) and the bank isn't going to 
bother pressing charges?  Oh well. That's just the way it works.  We 
just got in the wrong business.


On 10/12/2010 03:47 PM, Davide Del Vento wrote:
> I think this is something outrageously wrong with the bank system (and
> not only, I think it's the same with social security numbers,
> magazines, or even just your address): the bad guys just need to know
> a few information and can steal your money/identity or get a credit
> card in your name.
>
> I think this should work differently: the checks have a signature, and
> the bank has your signature - they shouldn't cash it if they don't
> match (yes, an attacher might fake your signature, but that will be
> harder than just lurking a couple of numbers).
>
> My bank even ask for a spoken password when I go there in person.
> Although it's better than nothing, I think this is very annoying (too
> many passwords for me to remember) and very broken too: anybody
> listening behind my shoulder could pretend to be myself next month and
> get my money. They should check my photo ID instead! And for
> transactions higher than some value, they should take a picture of the
> photo ID and possibly of myself too. A thief will have an harder time
> to fake my photo ID, and the police will have their picture if they
> succeed stealing my money.
>
> Never understood why "the system" is so broken...
>
> Davide
> PS: sorry for being grumpy, this discussion remembered me of when they
> "stole" my address reading it from the cover of a magazine I am
> subscribed to.... Now I shred the cover before tossing it in the
> recycle bin, but what a PITA!!
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