Taj Mahal

[Tedlark]

  We heard it here from billyjoe; buy stock in Steelcase...

[DaBurglar]

[QUOTE=olds442jetaway] Reason for all of that paper DB....It just may have been the government, . Also our first system was Unix based. It never crashed. Windows always did.
With all the data base breaches and Cloud intrusions, we may be going back to paper. Don't throw out all those file cabinets yet. [/QUOTE]thoughts along the same vein.......how many of you DELIBERATELY pay with CASh as much as humanly possible these days?   Instead of just swiping and/or handing over your credit/debit/department store cards???      RARELY do I ever utilize plastic anymore, except obviously to check in to a typical AC or Vegas hotel ....And more often than not, if I do use plastic, I leave my AMEX and Visa CC alone and use my Visa Debit (linked to my combined checking & savings, with a daily limit so that any damage is contained).   Identity thieves LITERALLY are everywhere, it is so easy for a individual, who plays it cool and does not get too greedy or stupid, to reap steady rewards pilfering account info and numbers.   Sad but true......

[notes1]

In the near future, we will all be using a different type of credit card. The new card, already in use in Europe has more security features.For myself, i check my bank, credit card and investment accounts on a regular basis. It does not take long to log in and make sure everything is ok. If something is amiss, better to correct the problem asap, rather than waiting for a monthly or quarterly statement to come in. 

[olds442jetaway]

I won't use debit cards myself. Almost all smaller purchases are paid with cash. Just in the news yesterday a pair of thieves in our immediate area attached skimmers to a local ATM. This is unfortunately more and more common now. Sometimes the damage isn't even noticed right away. My theory is if a system can be created, it can be hacked. For a while, the old saying had dropped out of favor. Cash is king. I still believe that one.

[Tedlark]

  It was reported today that the Taj has filed a petition with the Gaming Commission to immediately close the Chairman's Tower and to stop issuing casino credit.

[JWF]

Wow! They are supposed to close in 10 days, yet they say they will stay open if the union drops its appeal....

You would think it would be past the point of no return with so little time left.

Still hoping against hope it somehow works out....I was trying to get down there after X-mas

[BillyJoe]

I won't use debit cards myself. Almost all smaller purchases are paid with cash. Just in the news yesterday a pair of thieves in our immediate area attached skimmers to a local ATM. This is unfortunately more and more common now. Sometimes the damage isn't even noticed right away. My theory is if a system can be created, it can be hacked. For a while, the old saying had dropped out of favor. Cash is king. I still believe that one.
No debit card for me, either. Credit cards are protected from fraudulent use - debit cards are not.

When my bank changed their ATM card to a Debit Card also, I told them no. They said that to have their ATM card, I had to have the debit feature. I told them - their choice. It's just a computer, so fix my card for no debit, or lose me as a customer of EVERYTHING that I do with that bank.

Amazing what they can do when they want to..

[olds442jetaway]

Yep...the last thing we need is to have our checking or linked savings account cleaned out before you even notice it. For me and you too, the convenience is just not worth the risk.

[DaBurglar]

well I dont know what bank you have, or how much dough you keep in your checking/savings account (for everyday use), or whatever your circumstances are, but here is why I myself would rather utilize my Visa logo's Debit card attached to my checking account:   The fact that I limit the amount of money in the two accounts to a range of 1500 bucks to 2000 (MAXIMUM), and use it just about everyday to withdraw money for that day's use (usually 100 bucks), means I will definitely notice any fraudulent or unauthorized activity right away (within 24 hours).   Furthermore, my bank on this one card, B of A, has a policy to immediately call me if they notice ANY strange or even NEW activity that deviates from my usual activity is a additional layer of protection that my credit cards and AMEX do not truly have (unless the thieves do something REALLY REALLY REALLY outrageous or dumb like try to buy a new Boat or piece of equipment that runs over 5 grand!)The credit cards that I do have are a MINIMUM of 10 grand credit line, and of course my AMEX theoretically is "unlimited', so the math is simplt:  Lose 1500 bucks temporarily on my Vise Debit account, or lose lots more than that on the other cards.   The damage difference is obvious......But I am assured (by the policies of my banks as well as past experience) at the moment that I will not be held accountable for any fraudulent activity as long as I notice or report it soon enough, and 24 hours is definitely soon enough.    Furthermore, actual IDENTITY THEFT, being a far more serious threat and far more difficult problem to fix, is what I truly fear, and I have taken steps to prevent and catch any such attempts.    If anyone saw 60 minutes last sunday, they know just how big this whole issue is, and the real reason all our cards remain so vulnerable:    The technology behind most cards in the USA, the magnetic strip, is so easy to thwart and steal (it i sbasically technology that peaked in the 1980s and has NOT been upgraded or even altered in the slightest, and here we are in the second decade of the 21st century!)   Someone  a;ready mentioned "new technology" and this would be cards with actual CHIPS in them, which would be extremely difficult to perpetrate fraud or otherwise use for criminal purposes, but of course, this means a BIG investment in change by existing banks and companies, something most will resisit until the last possible moment!!!edited to add:  to steal your identity, the culprits usually go after things that are NOT actual credit cards or debit cards or checking accounts, etc., although such things, if available, will make their job easier in the short term anyway......what many identity thieves use these days are a combination of things like cyber social media accounts (i.e. facebook, twitter and such), or things most people thoughtlessly throw away not realizing the plethora of seemingly innocuous data that exists, like OLD prescription bottles that still have the labels intact!   ID thieves LOVE things like that because it allows them a way in that does not potentially trigger any immediate alarms, like a stolen credit card or stolen checkbook or bank statement would trigger.   Once a thief, for instance, has a old prescription bottle, they can then easily impersonate the person and call the pharmacy and acquire a whole slew of info if they know what to say and how to say it.....or even call your doc's office and go through that door.  Both places (doc's office and pharmacies) are notoriously busy and careless when it comes to screening calls and giving out basic info, usually because they are so BUSY and the employees answering the phones are usually the first, and lowest level of employee in the business (i.e. the least paid, least educated and therefore, least conscientious.)

[DaBurglar]

  It was reported today that the Taj has filed a petition with the Gaming Commission to immediately close the Chairman's Tower and to stop issuing casino credit. wow....where was it reported, if I might ask?   I'm going to be there December 5 & 6 (this weekend) and if they have shuttered the Chairman Tower, I want to know because I will cancel and stay next door at Resorts!!!!