Wherein the lottery invites identity theft.

[Skrae]

So, there's a new local (or maybe not local, I don't know) lottery in which you pick three numbers from one to ten. This is not a problem. However, their radio ad almost gave me an aneurism when I heard it. They went over a few different ways to pick numbers; today's date, your birthday, your spouse's birthday, the date of your first date, the address on your house, and then they came to the one that made me go "WHAT?"

The 3 numbers on the back of your credit card.

I think it might be time to start raiding people's trash for lottery tickets is what I would say were I dishonest.

[Pixilated]

Um ... why would they need any of the numbers on someone's credit card??

[PepperElf]

i dunno, but i am betting a quick call to the radio station to point out that their ideas can lead to identity theft may get the ads changed asap.

[ADeMartino]

I think you might be over-reacting. If someone were to find an old lottery ticket, there's no way to find out exactly WHO bought it. Nor would they, looking at the numbers you chose, be able to divine exactly what significance those numbers have. And even IF they were to figure out that you'd used a CVV number, without the rest of the credit or debit card number, AND expiry date, they wouldn't be able to do anything with it anyway.

I suppose, technically, it's within the realm of possible for someone to exploit this information, but it would take an EXTREMELY unlikely set of circumstances.

[PepperElf]

in many of those lottery things the customer hands the penciled in slip to the cashier and then gets a printed ticket.

if the customer is seen checking the security code and entering it in... could the cashier see the information when the ticket is printed?

[judecat]

In my state you cannot buy a lottery ticket with a credit card, you must pay cash -- so even if the cashier gets the CVV number they are not going to have access to the rest of the information on your credit card. Even if I were to remember the CVV and you come in next week for a credit sale, you are not giving me your card, you are scanning it into the card scanner, you are signing the card scanner, and your information goes into the computer -- nothing is printed where I can see it, non of your information comes up on my screen, nor on your receipt. Companies set it up this way so that all the dishonest cashiers can't be stealing the customers identies, cause we are all a bunch of crooks, don't you know.

[Aethian]

cause we are all a bunch of crooks, don't you know.

One bad egg ruins the cake.

[dalesys]

One bad egg ruins the cake.

And one whole egg makes it crunchy.

... and calcium-enriched ...

[Mr Hero]

I don't listen to the radio much, but over the weekend my gf now fiance was in town and we had the radio on the country station when I heard this ad. I thought it was a little creepy that they suggested it.