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Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

cnet.com

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Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#101

Post by IanCal »

dangrossman wrote: post #25
nfriedly wrote: post #15

> ordered 13 Pokemon gifts [...] was only allowed to return four of the items What's up with that? Isn't there a law that limits liability for unauthorized purchases to $50? (And don't most banks and credit cards just make it $0?)

Under the FCBA your liability for purchases made with a lost or stolen credit card is limited if you report the use to your card issuer in a timely manner. There's no requirement that Amazon voluntarily refund all your kids' purchases, and I'm not sure that unauthorized use of an Amazon account counts as theft of the physical credit card in this case anyway.

Strange. In the UK at least this would have been covered under existing regulation:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/i-want-to-retu...

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#102

Post by Cozumel »

newscracker wrote: post #84
toxican wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're robbing an iPhone user, you'd probably be safe hacking off a thumb. Can't imagine many people give up the convenience of using their thumbs to unlock. With me they'd have to take my index fingers because I've got a phone with the reader on the back of the device (which, imo, is the best place to put it, as far as convenience goes.)

> If you're robbing an iPhone user, you'd probably be safe hacking off a thumb. Can't imagine many people give up the convenience of using their thumbs to unlock. Anecdotal, but I know people who have configured only the index finger to unlock the phone because they prefer it to the thumb.

If you wanna know something and he won't tell you, cut off one of his fingers. The little one. Then tell him his thumb's next. After that he'll tell you if he wears ladies underwear.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#103

Post by darpa_escapee »

Waterluvian wrote: post #6
dexwiz wrote: post #4

So is the 21st century version of stealing cash from your mom's purse?

Yup. In my opinion, this isn't a problem that needs solving. I bet with thumbprint security, money is more secure from house hooligans than it was when held in a wallet.

Wallets hold a small amount of money compared to the potential life savings accessible with a phone and thumbprint.

Getting robbed turns from "Give me your wallet or I'll shoot/stab you" to "Give me your phone and access or I'll shoot/stab you."

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#105

Post by Infinitesimus »

sortofanon wrote: post #97
Shivetya wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you are hiding stuff from your spouse you have larger issues that you should acknowledge and address. With regards to the article parents needs to disable in app purchases on any device a child can reasonably be expected to get access too

[Posting sort of anonymously] My spouse and I will probably never see eye to eye on porn. I agree that it's a bigger issue, but do I need to address it?

Definitely a much bigger debate (and off-topic)

For me it was a matter of porn not being as important to me as she was so the porn had to go. Plus for some people, porn does affect their own interactions with their partner negatively (reduces sexual drive, reduced sexual interest in their partner since s/he isn't like what they see in porn, etc.). Some people also view their spouses' watching porn as a sign that the one who doesn't like porn is inadequate - which leads to all sorts of insecurities coming out.

As usual, different strokes for different folks. Whether you _need_ to address it is entirely up to you and what you want from your relationship.

(I do know couples who both were into porn and that didn't cause an issue)

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#106

Post by darpa_escapee »

makecheck wrote: post #67

It seems like they could add a few less-predictable factors to improve the security of thumbprints without completely ruining their convenience. For instance: — Maybe you must use two or more particular fingerprints in sequence, selected by you in advance. This would require a “sleep attack” to at least try different combinations of your fingers (without knowing which to use first or how many fingers are required). —…

Does thumbprint + access code/grid/what-have-you exist on any phone?

This is the one feature I've been dying for.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#107

Post by rokhayakebe »

Shivetya wrote: post #94
m_eiman wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously, how many people have things on their phone that they are desperatly trying to keep hidden from their SO (and still don't DELETE THE STUFF)?

if you are hiding stuff from your spouse you have larger issues that you should acknowledge and address. With regards to the article parents needs to disable in app purchases on any device a child can reasonably be expected to get access too

You could hide stuff from your spouse for many good and bad reasons. Maybe you are preparing a surprise gift and you took photos. Maybe your spouse has a bad spending habit and will ruin the both of you, so you hide the other bank account. Maybe your spouse is abusive and is threatening to leave you at any moment, so you hide money to get ready for that day. Maybe your spouse parents are calling you regularly to see how they are doing. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#108

Post by jcoffland »

jenamety wrote: post #24

i'm seeing two (obvious) bigger picture trends here that this story reinforces. 1. Digital authentication for purchasing is moving towards non-transferable biometrics ( i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin ) 2. Goods of all kinds are being delivered faster The scary thing for me is that thieves love goods delivered quickly, so they can turn them quickly, and cut down on their ability to get intercepted. So…

> i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin

You divulge your thumb print when you grab ahold of a glass at a restaurant or a door handle in a public space.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#109

Post by Declanomous »

jcoffland wrote: post #108
jenamety wrote: post #24

i'm seeing two (obvious) bigger picture trends here that this story reinforces. 1. Digital authentication for purchasing is moving towards non-transferable biometrics ( i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin ) 2. Goods of all kinds are being delivered faster The scary thing for me is that thieves love goods delivered quickly, so they can turn them quickly, and cut down on their ability to get intercepted. So…

> i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin You divulge your thumb print when you grab ahold of a glass at a restaurant or a door handle in a public space.

I suspect they meant divest. They can't get rid of the thumbprint like they can an insecure pin/etc.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#110

Post by swift »

wruza wrote: post #89
Clubber wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most fascinating part for me is that 6 year old managed to find a way to circumvent biometric security without hacking off someone's finger: authenticate while the user is asleep. Necessity is truly the mother of innovation.

Many friends of mine disabled that feature right after the story about someone's wife unlocked it while he was asleep. That can be orders of magnitude more expensive than $250, in one touch.

Anyone for whom this is a concern should probably consider divorce.
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