"RoseGarden" - - - - - - - from - nscave

We are all told to shield or hide our PINs when using credit and debit cards.

What they really mean is shield or hide the keypad.

How easy is that to do? Especially at gas pumps and some ATM machines. Or beside the cashier when the keypad is mounted a foot or two high on one of those swivel arm holders. Holding with one hand and pressing the numbers with the other can be difficult. And you are supposed to shield the keypad from view too.

It has also been said that some people are embarrassed to shield their PIN input. Really?

PINs Are Easy To See

PINs are fairly easy to get hold of. The numbers on most if not all keypads are in a standard order.  The 1,2,3, etc. are always in the exact same location. The person so inclined doesn’t really have to see the actual numbers, only the location you are pressing.

Therefore a person standing in the next cashier lane could easily see your PIN input. And don’t forget the person talking on the cell phone with the camera pointed your way.

Confuse The Keypad Watcher

My method of confusing would be PIN collectors is to touch six or more buttons. No one can tell which ones I actually pushed. (If you make a mistake and accidently press a wrong number, just Cancel and begin again. Even more confusing to someone trying to watch you.)

Or as Bob Rankin suggests in his Ten Identity Theft Protection Tips #5, use two fingers while you enter your PIN.

These methods work on any kind of ATM, gas pump or store keypad machine. It just might be worth your while to do it.

This work by NSCAVE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License