I.T. Advent tip #12: Don’t email your credit card details!

If you’re in search of that perfect gift, but are having trouble paying for it, you might be tempted to email your card details…

  • What if the the seller writes the information down and doesn’t securely dispose of the paper once they’ve used your data?
  • What if they process the transaction on their own PC, unseen, untrusted, and perhaps unpatched?

That email could end up in the hands of cybercrooks, even if the seller handles it with care once they’ve received it.