February 27, 2008 Archives

Phishing, vishing and smishing, oh my!

Emily Starbuck Gerson | February 27, 2008 | Protecting yourself

Tags: identity theft, phishing, smishing, vishing

Originally, text messages were used to send notes to friends while stuck in class or to tell someone something brief. Then they became a way to vote in reality television hits and win prizes with game shows. More recently, as my colleague Connie Prater reported in a blog, debt collectors are beginning to e-mail and text debtors who dodge phone calls. Now, the most recent group behind text messaging: identity thieves.

Shopping online with credit cards: We love it. We fear it.

Dan Ray | February 27, 2008 | Research, regulation, industry reports

Tags: credit cards, research, shopping

Americans love the convenience of shopping online, but many still get a twinge of nervousness when typing that credit card number into the computer, and those who have the least harbor the most fear.

Wave for a ride on NY-NJ public transit

Jeremy Simon | February 27, 2008 | New, interesting products

Tags: contactless, MasterCard

Early next year, MasterCard and NJ Transit expect to start an eight-month test that allows riders to pay their fares on PATH trains (which connect Manhattan and neighboring New Jersey) and two NJ Transit bus lines with contactless bank cards, key fobs, cell phones and other devices.