NOTE: This article is not genealogy-related. However, it describes a situation that I face frequently, as do many others who operate e-commerce web sites.
I often hear the cyber-myth that "it is dangerous to use your credit card on the web." In fact, the reverse is much more accurate: the web is probably the safest place in which to use a credit card. (For details, see my earlier article on this topic at http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0245.htm#SafetyofOnlineCredit.) Now we hear that use of a credit card on the web is much, much safer than sending a check in the mail. One of the better-known anti-scam web sites has shown how easy it is for anyone to steal money out of your checking account.
In fact, it is much easier to take money from your checking account than it is from your credit card. All that is needed is the routing number and the account number that are printed on the front of every check you send. The thief simply needs to have your check, or even a photocopy of your check, everything after that is easy. Do you pay your mortgage, electric bill, telephone bill, car payment, or other bills with a check? Any dishonest employee at the receiving company can easily steal money from you.
You can read more about this on "Aunty Spam's Net Patrol," a well-known site that reports on spam, spyware, spoofing, security breaches, and other Internet nasties. The article is available at http://www.aunty-spam.com/your-checking-account-is-not-safe/.
