Hey! Another JONP (was my handle on the previous Avsim setup) AND you're in Oz too...I too have had this problem. I believe Jon, that the situation in Australia isn't so bad. When I noticed a mysterious $100 payment on my Visa card (turned out to be the third) I contacted them and they said straight-out 'it must be a foreign transaction as there is no Visa Menber number attached to it'. Apparently this member/vendor number is required here for any CC transaction BUT NOT OVERSEAS. They also informed me that, although they could stop the payment (and charge me for the honour), they couldn't stop it happening again so I was forced to cancel it with all the involved hassles. This is Visa admitting that they don't have control over their issued cards.The bottom line is this. Credit cards are NOT secure. The credit card companies are NOT responsible because they have fought the lawmakers to create this open, unsecure banking market they can milk for what it's worth. The banks don't care as long as they get the kickbacks from the credit companies. I DO use a 'credit' card on the internet but it's a 'fake'. By that I mean that it's a debit card with a Visa number. This means I only transfer the required amount of money into the account as required. It is safe - I know because it hasn't been 'hit' in over 12 months. As soon as the scammers see the debit card ID, they don't bother. BTW, this proves that it's coming from INSIDE Visa or the banks as presumably only they know it's not a normal credit card.Jon Point*************************([email protected])*************************

I agree that using a credit card over the net is no more dangerous than using a credit card anywhere else. There's nothing wrong with the encryption as long as it's enabled. The problem is what happens to the number after it reaches the vendor. And this is the same problem whether or not you use the net.

In Britain, Debit Card transactions are protected in a similar way to Credit Card ones. You fill out a simple form with the details of the disputed transaction, and your money will be refunded. This applies to 'cleared' transactions as well (Actually, most of them will have cleared by the time you notice them).Cheers,Gosta.