All of which brings us back to the issue of your favorite pizza topping... Your bank has probably asked you to create a new password and PIN lately. They want your password to contain at least eight characters, including one upper-case letter and one numeral, and a PIN with at least six digits. If you have multiple accounts, the temptation is to use the same formula for each one -- again exposing you to even more devastating financial consequences of identity theft!
In order to establish a further degree of security, the banks are moving past asking for the last four digits of your Social Security number, or your mother's maiden name, to validate any contacts with them. Now they're asking you to choose at least eight "security" questions, and the answer you'll give when they ask -- at any time -- for verification of a transaction or query.
As I found out in a recent communication when I logged on to bank online, those choices can be unusual. Among the options:
I called the bank, laughing, asking if they were serious. Obviously these "security" questions were written by a 20-something techie, for whom favorite school subjects and first pet name were recent memories. Or maybe the security consultants are Zen masters, for whom a favorite season or time of day are truly memorable.
