credit card

It had to happen. The Linux Foundation has just started offering an affinity Visa Platinum credit card for people who want to contribute to advancing the Linux through Linux Foundation initiatives.

I’ve heard that the economy is on the upswing, but I know most of us are still holding our breath. With many Americans trying to make ends meet in the face of unemployment, ballooning mortgage costs and credit card debt, lots of them are turning to debt-relief services. If you or someone you know is in this position, remember that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

Programmer pilot fish calls the phone number on the back of one of his credit cards and explains that he's having a problem with the card company's Web site.

If you are going to buy a ticket to a football game with a stolen credit card, you might not want to sit in your assigned seat (unless it is a sold out game I guess). Just a little advice.

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It's IT Blogwatch: in which an alleged conspiracy of international cyber-criminals is indicted, in the largest such case the DoJ has ever prosecuted. Not to mention the Gates vs. Jobs lightsaber duel...

Grant Gross reports:

The Hannaford security breach could hurt some consumers' credit scores, even if no fraud occurs, says an expert.

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60 Minutes did a surprisingly good segment on the TJX ID Theft issue.

This study, funded by the Department of Justice, kind of surprised me. Not only are some three million Americans subjected to identity theft each year, but in some of those cases (less than 20%) the thieves don't rely on the Internet.  Apparently there are thieves that prefer to still go about it the old fashioned way, by tampering with mail (rerouting it by using change of address cards and/or simply stealing mail outright), stealing credit cards and even good old dumpster diving.

My credit-card number MAY have been "compromised," Citibank Visa informs me by postal mail. The letter also includes new cards with a new account number. They're closing my old account in a couple of weeks. No, they won't tell me what vendor is involved, so I can decide whether I want to continue doing business with them. No, they won't tell me how much additional information about me might have been "compromised." No, they won't offer any assistance in contacting the places that direct bill my existing account each month. And no, nobody's offering me credit monitoring.