Garoo

Looks like e-commerce is going to go through a nice boom in the next few days: two specialists (I didn’t pay attention to their introduction, but anyway nobody pays attention to who’s really who, they’re here as specialists and that’s that) just firmly declared on French TV that you should never ever give your credit card number on the net.

Well, ok, they did mention in passing that most French banks can let you create virtual card numbers that can only be used once. But, somehow, I can hardly imagine the wider audience bothering with that, instead of just remembering not to buy online, period. (By the way, would a virtual card allow me to pay my ISP subscription each month, or would it self-destruct before? And does it work as a Visa card abroad? Too lazy to check.)

Anyway, the show gives the opportunity to remind people that they must be careful, when they type their code on an ATM, and hide the keyboard from a miniature camera that could be over it; or systematically try to tear out the card slot, in case it’s pirated. (No idea whether this is a French exclusivity, but I see no reason for that. Except for the fact that almost all French credit cards — well, actually, debit cards; credit cards aren’t popular here — are Visa, which means they’re valuable worldwide.)