Internet privacy and security

[camsmith]

Hey all,

I found a fraudulent transaction on my CC statement, again. Someone did it to another CC I have so this is the second time this year on two different cards. Both accounts were closed after discovering the charges.
This has drived me to improve my security hygiene. I have a Yahoo email that I'm going to delete and use a different provider. I switched my Windows OS to Linux. I have a UTM firewall. I can do all I can to secure my LAN but I cant secure the merchants I make transactions with.
I found this site with alot of privacy info Privacy Tools | Encryption against global mass surveillance
What have you guys done?

Thanks

 

[bigredfish]

Likely none of those things had anything to do with your CC number being stolen/used. Far more likely they got it through a compromised merchant, or waitress at your local pub, or a card reader at the gas pump..

 

[camsmith]

Likely none of those things had anything to do with your CC number being stolen/used. Far more likely they got it through a compromised merchant, or waitress at your local pub, or a card reader at the gas pump..

Yea i just dont want to go through the headache of having my id stolen.
How or why does someone use my card to buy clothes and ship it to our address. The darn shirt is a 3x and nobody here is even close to that size

 

[Fastb]

why does someone use my card to buy clothes and ship it to our address.

Likely because they planned to steal the box from your doorstep.
When buying stuff on-line, if you have a different "ship to" address than the CC "bill to" address, a reputable on-line merchant will ask for more credentials. Like the number on the back of the card. Just a guess.

The darn shirt is a 3x

So it sounds like the perp is a big guy!
You could write your name somewher inside the shirt. Then box up the shirt in the shipping box and leave it on your front porch. After it's stolen, look for a guy wearing that shirt. Call the police. Tell them where to find your name inside the shirt. Busted! lol!

 

[c hris527]

Yes you can do all that to secure yourself up but your credit Card is stored in so many different computers and also your SS #. How many times have banks, Medical, Internet providers and so on ask you for your SS Number or the last four. If you are that paranoid then use a credit monitoring company. My Health Provider got hacked and got everything including my Family's info including all of our SS Numbers. My Daughter is only 7 and now the company is paying for credit monitoring for all of us for 2 years. You can only do so much and let the chips fall where they may.