First TJX with 90 million accounts stolen, then Target with 40 million accounts stolen and now Home Depot with 56 million accounts stolen. I found it interesting that Target was hacked through a flaw in Microsoft Active Directoy. No news yet on the details of Home Depot.
What's a person to do? Buy a phone with NFC payment option. The newer Android phones have Google Wallet and it looks like Apple Pay is coming soon. When you activate Google Wallet, you link it to a credit card. I prefer American Express because they have great anti-fraud detection and allow you to dispute un-authorized charges from their website.
When you are shopping, look for the wireless payment option on the card reader. Most grocery stores have them and big chains like Best Buy. Walmart is too cheap and does not (use cash if you must shop there). When you touch your phone to the card reader, Google prompts you for a pin. And that's it. What's interesting is that to the card reader, it looks like a single use Master Card regardless of your actual credit card. And you need a data connection, because Google sends out the authorization code real time. Pretty cool. On your credit card statement it will say GOOGNFC*merchant name
If your phone gets misplaced, you can deactivate your wallet from the Google website. Of course you have 2-factor authentication for your Google account, right? And you have a lock code on your phone. And a good PIN for Google Wallet.
Bottom line, if that card reader was hacked, the bad guys only get a fictitious credit card number that can't be used. Not bad.
