But I am Protected?

[tw]

A problem probably on both sides of the pond. From the BBC of 25 Mar 2007:

Many net users 'not safety-aware'
Fewer than half of the UK's 29m adult internet users believe they are responsible for protecting personal information online, a survey suggests. One in six of the 2,441 people surveyed felt responsibility rested with banks.

The research, for a government-backed online safety campaign, found 12% had suffered online fraud in the last year - at an average loss of £875.

The same number (5%) had experienced fraud while shopping online as had had their bag, wallet or mobile stolen.

What happens if someone gets access to your brokerage account and pilfers it? You are 100% responsible for the losses. Brokerage need not reimburse you for any of $hundreds of thousand in losses. That is the law.

Where are best places to phish for such account passwords? Libraries, hotel computers, etc. Simply put spywear (keystroke recorders) on those computers and wait for a nibble. Keystrokes are recorded, sent overseas, and you brokerage accounts are suddenly empty. Libraries, hotels, and other public computer locations routinely make little effort to clean their machines.

Worse are the so many who automatically assume they are protected.