Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!barmar
From: barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin)
Subject: Re: ANYONE CAN FIND MY CREDIT CARD BALANCE & LAST PMT
Message-ID: <1991Apr10.043246.13574@Think.COM>
Sender: news@Think.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
References: <959@camco.Celestial.COM> <6750018@hp-vcd.HP.COM>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 91 04:32:46 GMT

In article <6750018@hp-vcd.HP.COM> johne@hp-vcd.HP.COM (John Eaton) writes:
>You absolutely do not want them to use your cards PIN for phone ID. A thief
>who steals your card only gets three guesses of your PIN once it is in the
>machine. He gets as many as his autodialer can punch out via the phone. If 
>he can get your PIN from the 800 number then he can get all sorts of cash
>from your card.

I don't understand this response, as there's no "machine" involved.  I was
replying to a message about the AT&T Universal card, which can be used as
an AT&T Calling Card.  The PIN I referred to is the one that you enter over
the phone when charging long-distance phone calls.  I think you're
referring to the PIN used in an ATM.  Maybe the AT&T card uses the same PIN
for both, but that's a separate problem, and doesn't diminish the value of
using the PIN when requesting information in preference to using the ZIP
code.


--
Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
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