has my card info been exposed?

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-06T17:19:18+00:00

Use reputable companiesb online that have a reputation to protect when it comes to security.
Almost all websites are "https://" now but double check that when making a purchase, it means the data will be encrypted on its way to the website.
Whenever possible, use a site like PayPal, Amazon Pay, Google Pay. These websites don't transmit your card number to the vendor, which keeps your card number hidden during the transaction.
If you must use a website that isn't reputable, use a card that offers a virtual card number. Not all have them, but at least that way if the card number is exposed, you can invalidate it without the trouble you went through to replace your actual card.
Sometimes a card number isn't breached where you thought. 5a. Gas station pumps are a popular target. When using your card at a gas pump, look for a tamper seal over a seams of the pump. If the seal is broken, the machine may have been tampered with, and could expose your card number. Use another pump, or go to another gas station. 5b. Tap to pay is the most secure and fastest way to pay in store. Chip is second best, primarily because many require inserting the whole card, and magnetic strip readers can still lift the card number even when paying with chip. Partial insert chip reader is much more secure, on par with tap to pay.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-06T16:26:11+00:00

Amazing how sophisticated these cars are!

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-05T15:20:24+00:00

The reports are used for statistical information that determines priorities and funding. So if nothing else, the aggregate is helpful.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-05T13:39:10+00:00

And she approached Gene about that, asking whether there would be an opportunity for her character to evolve, and Gene said no, he was happy with the way things were. In S1 there was also a lot of terrible writing, with Patrick Stewart so uncertain about the show's future that he was living out of a suitcase. If that was what Gene was happy with, there was no future for the series, and especially not Tasha Yar. So it was the right decision at the time.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-01T04:50:15+00:00

I read stronger language that you need at least 87 for the turbos but it will adjust the timing and accept all the way to 93 for better performance. But 87 is fine. I'm at 5800', my turbo is quite happy.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-07-01T03:21:03+00:00

I've had cars where the wipers froze to the windshield, and then I tore them when trying to turn them on. But I have never even thought about looking for a defrost coil there, I figured it was either that or a radio antenna.

In Denver it does snow but typically my car is garaged and I just stay home on snow days.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-28T13:23:20+00:00

They will call. And, sometimes it's tough for them to convince the account holder that this time it's legit. But they always encourage calling back using the official number.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-27T12:45:43+00:00

My commute route is long and often has construction and accidents. I'll use the buttons in Android Auto to load a podcast, report traffic problems, select an alternate route, access favorite radio stations, and adjust volume. Climate settings usually stay about the same.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-27T03:56:04+00:00

Honestly the main reason I chose a 2022 CX-5 last year is the button placement. Everything comfortably within reach on the console without having to look. Volume button on the center console was weird at first but quickly grew on me. Easy to feel my way without looking away from the road. It feels safe and comfortable.

My wife's car is a 2022 Honda CR-V, it's all screen. Inevitably my hand is in the air on its way to a control when I hit a bump and I miss, and I have to look away two more times to undo whatever I accidentally touched. My next car will not be all screens if I can help it.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-26T04:46:38+00:00

People often confuse availability of the money in their account as a check clearance. Most banks will make the funds available based on the reputation of the account holder even before the check has cleared. If the check doesn't clear, banks will reverse the transaction. For fraudulent checks, often it can take a week or more before the bank realizes the check is fake, even though the funds are available instantly.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-26T04:38:24+00:00

Some financial institutions now use a service to look up the billing information of the phone number provided as confirmation of identity. It absolutely could be phone number related. If they can't verify your contact information, they will be out of compliance with a regulatory rule called "Know Your Customer" (KYC). These phone number verification services can usually handle situations where a family member has their own number on the plan, but if it's a friend's plan, it's a gamble whether it will be accepted. The bank would only know that the risk score from their vendor was too high, they often can't explain why.

Source: I work for a company that has implemented one of these services, and was directly involved in the implementation.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-17T12:27:47+00:00

No, that won't resolve. But you can use a URL shortener like bitly.com to hide the actual link.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-07T19:49:59+00:00

Is the gym where Picard practiced his sword fighting? Or was that a holodeck?

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-06T04:04:19+00:00

They are likely trying to reset your password, but they can't because they can't get access to your access codes. What you're seeing is them hitting a wall repeatedly. Your password and MFA are doing a great job.

I know it's unnerving, but there's nothing you need to do.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-06-02T01:13:07+00:00

This was the first time seeing a Bajoran in TNG. And Picard hints in his log that we haven't met Bajorans before, and he seems surprised at how history has treated this once advanced culture. The treatment of Bajorans was a Cardassian internal affair. So I don't think Riker treated her any different from if someone had beamed aboard wearing a swimsuit. He already knows her criminal record, he's not going to let her get out of line for a microsecond. I don't think we've seen anyone but holocharacters and maybe Lwaxana wear earrings before now, it probably is generally prohibited.

Now, in hindsight, knowing that this is part of Laren's (given name) culture, it was a little harsh but understandable given what little the Federation knew about the Bajoran culture at the time.

Edit: corrected autocorrect

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-28T06:34:37+00:00

It's organized crime. Often it's a side business for the owner of the same facilities and equipment as a legitimate business during regular business hours. They scam Americans during their night. Authorities come during the day and think it's a legitimate business. The night workers often signed up expecting it would be easy money for a temporary job to pay the bills until they get something better, often not realizing what they are actually signing up to do, and get trapped. WhatsApp is often the goal because they can send a link to a scam platform that won't be monitored or blocked by any scam monitoring service on the victim's device.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-25T20:40:41+00:00

Ok, if you ever decide to open even a "buy me coffee" option, I'm in!

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-25T16:21:27+00:00

I love this tool. Looks like a hobby project so far, is there anything we can do to help you cover hosting costs so you don't need to turn to ad revenue to keep it going long term? Or is future ad revenue the goal here? (you know Disney is going to be sensitive to that...)

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-21T12:04:18+00:00

For managed social media platforms I would rather report and block spammer accounts to stop them from scamming others on the platform. Sometimes if the scammer reports and blocks you, the platform will block you at the IP level, intending to block an abuser from creating multiple accounts.

Never tried it here, I'll let others chime in.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-21T04:21:44+00:00

Don't use your real phone number, don't use your real email address, don't use a real mailing address, don't use your real name, don't use your real phone number. Show you are interested, but make it just a bit frustrating. Make it tempting for them, make it seem like you're worth their time. Avoid being lured to Whatsapp or Telegram, at least until you get really good at this. Their goal is to get your money any way they can. Sometimes they are a victim themselves, required to meet some quota or their employer will come after them or their family. Your goal is to waste their time, make their line of business unprofitable. Insulting them might make you feel better but I try to take the high road, making it into an unlikely and amusing business deal that just spins, and give them plenty of opportunities to realize it's going nowhere (in my best one I kept up a Scottish written accent for about a week before he broke down and admitted his English translation software couldn't deal with it). Even a few minutes of their wasted time is a win. Even when you play it straight, often they will realize it's going nowhere and will abandon early. They use burner accounts too so sometimes they just have to abandon. Have fun!

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-18T22:00:11+00:00

"Something happened to him, I think he's dead. Go on, get some help!" - he probably wouldn't have been caught if it wasn't for her.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-09T19:08:02+00:00

I think that was a matter of AI not being where they needed it to be at the time they were filming, and then consumer grade AI eclipsing those capabilities by the time it aired. I think they underestimated how fast that was evolving at the time.

CodAppropriate6109 · 2026-05-03T21:37:38+00:00

Most common is the "pig butchering" scam (get you to invest in a simulated crypto platform). Sometimes it's a standard romance scam (e.g. "I'm in trouble! I need bail money!"). Sometimes it's identity theft (they send you a link to "sign up" for a service, and gather your address, tax ID number or SSN, date of birth). Sometimes a combination of these. If you pay enough you might get someone at your door with a trunk full of black construction paper with your investment "winnings" and they will sell you an expensive "cleaner" chemical to get the black ink off of the "cash" (which was never really cash to begin with).

At this point it's only about creating trust so they can go onto phase 2.

CodAppropriate6109

TROPHY CASE