Security

I just finished a book called Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason. I learned several security tidbits, such as how hotel rooms with great views are often less secure because the great view of the ocean or the golf course means there are no people cluttering up the view who might see something unusual going on in your room. I was a little surprised to see how easily Mason was able to find out information to help him in his heists. For example, he decided that in one building the best way to gain access was through the roof, where there was a door with only a large combination lock. He didn’t want to cut it and leave evidence of how he entered, so he used fake company letterhead and wrote to The Master Lock company. He told them that the hotel that he managed had lost the combination, and the company sent him the combination. He used a similar trick to get master keys to the rooms in a different hotel.

I was in the middle of this book when I needed to call my credit card company. To confirm my identity, the agent first asked for the last four digits of my social security number. Unthinkingly, I gave him instead the last four digits of my phone number. (It’s not as strange as it sounds. For one thing, two of the digits are the same. Also, in a small town the last four digits of my phone number are local ID, like at the library or the video store, so I’m used to giving that number out). Back on the phone, the agent asked me to repeat the number, and I gave him the wrong one again. He gave me another chance, and this time I realized what I had been saying and gave him the correct number. So basically, you don’t have to be a very suave crook to get info on my credit card.

Another time, my husband was calling about canceling a credit card that had never been used but had been gathering dust for 7 years. He gave the agaent his name, and when he gave the agent the number on the card she said, “Oh, you’re not Rxxxxxxxxx Mxxxxxx?” So it was pretty easy to get RM’s credit card number.

How surprised should I be? I guess I just don’t want to know that security is just an illusion.