Posted by Art_MD on 3/14/05 12:27pm
Msg #25363

ID theft and pin #s

With all the pin # we have, including ATM and credit cards, I do the following:

I take a number I will never forget - and no one else can guess. I use the street number from the house I grew up in. Haven't lived there in 40 years, but still remember the number. I add this to my pin # and write that number on the card. I can mentally subtract my secret # and I have the true pin. Better than writing down the true number like some people do. Would really frustrate a thief too.

Art

Reply by Ernest_CT on 3/14/05 12:35pm
Msg #25365

Good idea, Art!

Never, ever write a word that when pressed on a Touch-Tone keypad would be equivalent to your PIN. Thieves know some people do that.

Reply by Melody on 3/14/05 1:40pm
Msg #25375

Do I have this right?

So if you lived at 1234 Main Street
and your real pin number is 5678

you would write on your card 6912
(1234 + 5678 = 6912)

Sounds like a good formula to me!

Thanks for sharing.


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Art_MD on 3/14/05 12:27pm wrote:

With all the pin # we have, including ATM and credit cards, I do the following:

I take a number I will never forget - and no one else can guess. I use the street number from the house I grew up in. Haven't lived there in 40 years, but still remember the number. I add this to my pin # and write that number on the card. I can mentally subtract my secret # and I have the true pin. Better than writing down the true number like some people do. Would really frustrate a thief too.

Reply by Ernest_CT on 3/14/05 1:44pm
Msg #25377

Re: Do I have this right? Maybe.

What I thought Art meant was 12 Main Street, written down is 345, so PIN would be 12345. MUCH easier than actually doing the math!

Reply by Art_MD on 3/14/05 1:48pm
Msg #25378

Re: Do I have this right?

Thats the way I do it.

Also,

MD has 2 license plates. I take a spare door key, drill the hole a little if necessary, and bolt it behind the front license plate with the bolt thru the hole in the key. Always have a spare. Nobody steals front plates since they don't have the month and year stickers. Has saved me several trips to where my kids locked keys in the car.

Art