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ATM skimmers: now with SMS notification built right in
Aw, how convenient! Now, when you purchase your next ATM skimmer, you don't even have to risk being arrested when you wander out to retrieve it. For those outside of the know, an ATM skimmer sits on credit / debit card machines and swipes information as unsuspecting civilians pass their cards through. In the days of old, scammers would have to physically retrieve the skimmer in order to acquire all that precious information; now, models with built-in SMS notification are becoming available, meaning that numbers, expiration dates and that easy-to-forget three digit code on the back can be shot out instantly after the data is snatched. Word on the street has these devices going for $8,500 a pop, and they can dish out around 2,000 texts. Just another zany hack to be aware of in the wide world of ATM shenanigans.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Mythbusters RFID hacking episode canned by credit card company lawyers
Although it's no secret that RFID is easily hacked (see: train passes, passports, credit cards, one billion other cards, etc.) it's still not necessarily common knowledge, and it sounds like the major credit card companies want to keep it that way -- according to Adam Savage, Mythbusters was all set to do a show exposing the weak security behind most RFID implementations but was shut down by lawyers from "American Express, Visa, Discover, and everybody else... [who] absolutely made it really clear to Discovery that they were not going to air this episode." Since Discovery is an ad-supported channel, it's not surprising that it backed down, but we'd say that the credit card industry would be far better served spending money on actually improving security rather than lawyering up and trying to keep consumers in the dark. Video after the break.[Via Wired]
Apple details what you need to bring for iPhone purchase
Apple has posted some information regarding where to buy the iPhone 3G and what to bring to the store so you can get up and running. According to Apple, in-store activations will occur at Apple's retail stores. "Let a Specialist help you choose your iPhone, check the network coverage where you live, select a rate plan, review the contract terms, and - best of all - activate your new iPhone in just a few minutes," the Apple page explains. Apple suggests having the following information handy to make the activation process speedy: Credit card Social security number Valid government-issued photo ID Current wireless account number and password or PIN (if you're new to AT&T) Apple also provides information for new iPhone owners on how to organize their data to make it ready for the iPhone. All of this information can be found on Apple's Where to Buy website.
PlayNC store expands payment options by adding PayPal
NCsoft wants to make it easier for their PlayNC shoppers looking to buy one or more of the following MMOGs in their stable: Tabula Rasa, CoX, Guild Wars, and other digital-boxed goods. They've gone so far they are now accepting PayPal as a payment option. PayPal has a variety of different payment and transfer methods linked to one's PayPal account. The new payment option is only available for digital code purchases and not NCcoin or subscriptions. Support for Euros and British pounds will be added tomorrow. The pay-to-download business is booming, more and more MMOG companies are taking advantage of alternative non-credit card payment options. It sure beats driving down to the local big-box store.
Charge it with an Xbox 360 credit card
Microsoft is doing their darndest to make an Xbox 360 presence in the foreign lands of India, so much so that they've partnered with ICICI Bank and VISA to offer a new Xbox 360 credit card. For realz!Not only is this Xbox 360 credit card stylish and comes with the ability to get you a complete home entertainment system without having a dime to your name, but it also comes with a few discounts on Xbox 360 games and hardware. (15% off Gears of War FTW!) If they decide to bring the 360 card Stateside, we'd consider signing and jumping in with VISA. Though, we would require the card to be customized with our Gamertag. That's the deal breaker.[Via Siliconera]
RFID credit cards easily hacked with $8 reader
The RFID hacks keep coming fast and furious -- hot the heels of that Mifare / Oyster Card exploit, the crew at BoingBoing TV has posted up a little demo of how easy cracking the RFID encryption on an American Express card can be. All it takes is an $8 dollar reader easily available on eBay, some software, and the courage to walk around with a laptop waving plastic boxes at people's butt pockets, but developer Pablos Holman says he's hoping to develop a newer version that will allow him to be a little more discreet. The root of the problem is apparently the fact that the system uses local decryption rather than sending card info to a secure data center, but either way we've been worried about this for a long time -- we're sticking to loose change and the barter system from now on. Video after the break.
RuneScape dev: buying MMO gold is like funding prostitution
And not just because somebody gets screwed. No, RuneScape's Imre Jele tells Eurogamer that gold trading is like prostitution because the worst part of it isn't necessarily the problem itself (most games can deal with gold trading in their economy), but all the other problems that come along with it-- gold farmers, illegal purchases, and so on. Jele says that stolen credit cards are often used to buy gold, and we've all heard of the working conditions and pay of many gold farmers out there.Jele also says that he's taken steps to stop the gold trading by making unbalanced trades illegal in his game, and has called out other industry players to do the same. But finally, he lands on the real matter at the heart of the problem-- we have to aim at the reason players want to cheat in the first place. If you make games fun, says Jele, players won't need to cheat at all. We're not quite sure exactly how the prostitution metaphor holds up in there, but he has a point.[Via gamesindustry.biz]
USB flash drive payment system hits South Korea
We've definitely seen some outlandish attempts at improving or outright replacing the humble credit card, but South Koreans will soon be able pay for purchases using the most easy-to-lose system we've seen yet -- by inserting a special USB flash drive into a slot. The system, which is being rolled out by Shinhan Card and Visa, also lets users pay for online purchases by sticking the drive into their computers' USB ports, and Shinhan is also rolling out new terminals that will enable contactless payments using the device as well. Of course, the drive itself is locked down tighter than a drum, but we still aren't convinced a bulky flash drive is a better option than phone-based or biometric payment systems.[Via The Raw Feed]
Evergreen's card-styled DAP: it's business time
As far as we know, Evergreen's Business Card MP3 Player doesn't come pre-loaded with Flight of the Conchords' most relevant jam, but you can't deny it'd be a great fit. This all-white, ultra-simplistic DAP checks in at 86- x 55- x 6-millimeters, weighs just 36-grams and includes 1GB of storage space. You'll also find a flip-out USB 2.0 connector, internal speaker and some sort of recording function. Slip one into your tight leather jacket pocket for a steep $126.19 -- it should make sorting the recycling much less tedious.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Turbine is holding your credit card hostage
MMOCrunch has a customer service horror story up about trying to get their credit card info back from Turbine. After Mike canceled his Lord of the Rings Online account, he tried to get his credit card information off of Turbine's servers, but they told him that if he did that, he would never be able to play his copy of that game ever again. They told him that once he "deactivated the account," he would never, ever be able to reactivate it again.Now, there aren't that many companies out there that will actually delete your credit card information and let you keep your account-- I'm told that NCSoft will let you "remove card" from your account, but that's pretty much it. So Turbine's inability to remove the card from the account isn't surprising. What is surprising, however, is that by deactivating your account, they remove the ability to ever play with that disc's key again. Turbine's LotRO EULA says nothing about canceling your account, either, although it does say that if they "are unable to verify or authenticate any information you provide to us," then they can "terminate your license to the Software."But whether it's legal or not, what's the point of spending $50 on a game disc when, after canceling your subscription, that disc becomes a coaster? Not cool for Turbine to break the game you paid for just because you'd like to keep your credit card information as safe as possible.
Next-gen credit cards to feature miniature displays and keypads
As if there wasn't enough temptation to get into debt, credit card manufacturers are now looking to stick fancy displays and keypads directly onto cards. The "Credit Card Embedded Authentication Device" was put together by Innovative Card Technologies and eMue Technologies, and uses the screen and keypad to provide security for online and mobile based banking transfers: the user enters their pin into the card, which gives back a one-time use code to authorize online transactions. The card will get its "consumer debut" -- whatever that means -- in Paris this November, at the Cartes & IDentification event. [Via Bsams]
When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever fosters bad credit
Note to parents: if you'd like your tweens not to run up extraordinary bills on the shared credit card when they head out to the mall, start by passing on Barbie's Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique playset. This innocent looking package allows youngsters to shop 'til they drop with fake plastic, but rather than actually hitting a credit limit and getting rejected, the card delivers the wrong message by simply allowing kids to spend as much dough as they'd like without any negative consequences. Take a look at the commercial after the jump.[Via Gearlog]
Credit card sized MP3 player ups your street cred
Looking for a small, light, credit-card-esque flash drive... which doubles as an MP3 player... which is covered in a "liquid" print? Well you're in luck, kiddies, because some anonymous Chinese electronics maker has got you covered on all fronts. Enter the "USB Flash Card MP3 Player," an ultra-thin, 2GB device that plays MP3s and WMAs, functions as a USB flash drive, and will give you absolutely no information about the song you're listening to. Hey, if you wanted information, you would get a screen -- this thing fits in your wallet. Available right now for the bargain basement price of $42.
Hitachi, JCB developing biometric payment system
Considering all the companies that have already (or almost) jumped on the cashless bandwagon, it follows logic that another duo of Japanese firms are bringing their own biometric payment system to the forefront. Reportedly, Hitachi and JCB Co. Ltd. are working hand in hand (ahem) to develop a system that would "identify the veins on a person's finger" in order to sync with their credit card or bank data and complete a purchase. As expected, the companies are pushing their creation as a safer and more reliable method of paying for items, and while there's no telling how quickly customers are apt to implement said technology, Hitachi has reportedly stated that it would "launch an experiment in September involving 200 of its employees to see if it is commercially viable to introduce the system in shops, banks and other businesses."
Samsung P318+ sports gold for Olympics
Samsung's P310 -- the so-called "credit card phone" -- is still enough to turn heads in these parts, but the Korean manufacturer is busting out some considerably fancier units to celebrate Beijing's 2008 Olympics. China Mobile will be picking up the P318+ (or that's our guess, anyway, on account of the carrier's logo on back), offering the same diminutive case as its forebear but replacing the downright normal chrome and brushed aluminum accents with 18 karat gold. It's unclear whether the gold is solid or plated, but if solid, expect to pay Vertu-like prices for this one, which will also feature an array of Olympics-themed ringtones and graphics. So where are the silver and bronze versions, Samsung?
Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
World of Warcraft credit card, chaaaaaaarge!
A new wave of e-currency is almost upon us with the announcement from Blizzard that they are offering World of Warcraft themed Visa cards that turn real world spending into fake world game time. The card will take 1% of what you charge and turn it into minutes that you can use to visit Azeroth. So, if you want to rack up a lot of time, hand this to a big spender.This comes on the heels of The Sims credit card, which will likely be something similar. MAKE magazine said we'd be seeing something like this a year ago, and it looks like they were right. Here's hoping they take our real world purchases and turn them into in game money, because they don't take credit cards in Ironforge, and some of the stuff we want is pretty darned expensive.[Via WoW Insider]
Hands-on with the Samsung SGH-P310
Without having used them, we've always assumed that Samsung's so-called "credit card phones" -- the SGH-P310 and the P300 before it -- were novelties more than they were usable phones. After all, the shape is a bit strange to be holding to your head, and the sheer level of miniaturization going on here leads one to figure that they're skimping on features. We recently had a crack at a P310, and while we're still not sure we'd carry it around as our primary mobile, we found ourselves pleasantly surprised with its performance. The keypad is totally usable (though the nondescript, circular d-pad takes a little getting used to), voice quality and reception both seemed good, and the display is fantastic. The UI is typical Samsung fare -- nothing special there -- but what really struck us was how solidly the phone seemed to be built. Though you obviously wouldn't actually put the phone in your wallet as you would a credit card, it almost seems sturdy enough to do just that if you really wanted to. Considering its fashion centric, high end target demographic, we suppose we'd expect nothing less. Hands-on with the Samsung SGH-P310
iCache emulates credit cards so that you can sleep soundly -- or can you?
If you've got too many credit cards, debit cards and loyalty cards eating up your precious wallet space that could otherwise be put to better use storing gum wrappers and Bazooka Joe comics, and you don't mind adding another gadget to your accessory-toting bag of choice, then this iCache thing might be just the thing for you. The device can emulate pretty much anything with a magnetic strip, storing the info inside the device and allowing you access with a simple swipe of your finger and a menu selection. To read back the info, the device can display a barcode, communicate wirelessly with one of those contactless terminals, or print the data out onto a universal magnetic card that will store the info for 10 minutes, allowing for a quick shopping spree. While in the right hands, this sounds quite promising -- if a tad self-defeating due to the fact that the gadget is most likely larger than your stack of cards -- and the security seems commendable, we shudder to think what a hacked-up version of this thing, lacking that arbitrary thumb-based security, could pull off, so for now we'll stick with burying all our cash in the backyard and guarding it with a one-eyed dog and our trusty shotgun.[Via The Raw Feed]
$150 PlayStation 3 discount [update 1]
Thanks to a promotion by Sony Style (Sony's retail operation), folks who sign up for a Sony-branded credit card by January 4, 2007 and who purchase stuff with said card by March 31, 2007, will receive $150 off of their first credit card statement. If you're feeling charitable towards Sony as a result of their generosity, you could apply the $150 bonanza to your purchase of a PlayStation 3, bringing the price of that budget-busting beast into blue-collar range. On the other hand, if you're the Billy Joe-Bobby Sue type, take the Sony card and run to your preferred online retailer who'll be more than happy to sell you an Xbox 360 or a Wii, either of which -- at $150 off -- would be a very nice deal. [Update 1: lots of questions appearing in the comments ... check out this Fatwallet thread for answers.] [Thanks, Mike!]
