If I may take a stab at this…
People use online banking, and purchases, primarily (or so it seems) because the technology is there, and it’s convenient. All the time, people make foolish decisions with this technology, too, which results in their privacy being compromise. What I’m thinking of at the moment is them falling prey to the “ebay” or similar banking scam emails… you know the ones. Just the other day I got an email from someone I know, warning of this “new” threat, that they clicked on an email link and “almost” revealed personal information. They were amazed that this could happen. Come on!
Bottom line, if you’re going to do internet commerce, you are at risk. However, let’s put that on the other foot… if you’re going to do commerce, you are at risk. Case in point, at work, we recently authorized a large wire transfer to make an investment in conjunction with another separate organization. This was done in writing, not over the internet. The bank didn’t transfer the money from out account, they took it from the other organization’s account, in our name! We got credit for the purchase, and someone else paid the tab! No internet there…
People go thru trash cans looking for receipts, bills, anything that could help steal money. People steal mail from mailboxes for the same purpose. Heck, it’s been reported a number of times that postal employees take the mail themselves, and use it for their own purposes.
The ultimate bottom line is, we live in a corrupted world, and as such, are at risk of problems. There’s no getting around it, and it ultimately has nothing to do with internet commerce; that’s just a symptom of the problem, IMO. If we are to survive relatively unscathed, we must take precautions, and be careful. Things that you might could do 20 years ago, you just can’t do today… don’t mail bills from your personal mailbox, don’t throw bills & receipts away in the trash, don’t let your kids play in the street. And when you’re on the internet, be aware of what you’re doing… the scams are all pretty obvious, and if you’re not sure, check it out first! Even if you’re careful, yes, there’s a risk. Note: none of the internet/email scams are new; they’ve all been around for many many years, circulating thru the mail; the internet just repackages them and speeds things up…
No matter how careful, you may still get snookered. If you’ve truly been careful, then I think you have a right to complain. If you’ve made yourself a victim, then be prepared to own that. Just my opinion.
LM
This is one of the few things I use IE7 for.