On Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:16:17 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per J0HNS0N:
I hate to add to your paranoia but you don't need an online bank
account to be a victim. Wasn't it around 50 million card numbers that
Target lost? Shop at Target? You say you use Visa... 8-O

There is a legal firewall on the VISA card. $50 is the maximum amount
I can lose in the event of fraud or loss - and that is only if I delay
reporting a lost card for too long - otherwise it's zero.
And, if there is fraud, the card issuer is the one on the hook
until/unless I pay the VISA bill. I still have my money.

Agreed. Further my cash back no-annual-fee AE card pays me around
$400/year just to use it.

BTW my CC allows online alerts. I get emails/texts when it's used out
of a certain area, over a certain limit, etc. Further even if you know
my online bank account user name and password you can't access it
unless you have my phone in your possession. (2 step verification.)

That contrasts with a debit card where somebody can clean out my account and
it's on me to get the money back.

I only use my debit card for ATM cash since it pays me nothing back.
But my bank gives me the same protection as my credit card. Likely
yours does too.

Ditto stock trading accounts and
whatever other online facilities are out there.

There is a $500K protection on stock accounts.

I would say there is a continuum from reasonable expectations to
paranoia - it's not a binary condition.

IMO you are in more danger giving your card to the waiter or stuffing
it in a gas machine than I am banking online. If you take reasonable
precautions you will lose nothing and your financial life will be much
easier.