Craigslist scammer targeting my son...

FWIW.... My wife and I pay all bills by check, except sales and employment tax deposits for business. Glad we do... I travel a ton for a living and my main credit card has been stolen 2x this year on trips (credit card company caught it both times). So I didn't have to re-register new card numbers in either case... just keep writing checks.

Once a check goes into the system there are no obvious places where the numbers get exposed, except at the receiver's end; it's all in the postal system or in the bank. The banks use a wired transaction system totally separated from the public internet, and the postal system dealt with this ages ago.

Credit cards.... they get handled by all sorts of potential thieves, and the end transaction equipment, local records, and the communications links are more exposed. I've had my CC number stolen 3x in 3 years now; these last 2 had chips so that is no guarantee of the number not being stolen and re-sold. It is up to the CC company or you to catch it.

I shudder to think if a debit card number and PIN gets stolen.... that's right to your bank account. I am REAL careful about using any wireless links I use when making online purchases.... I avoid them, but never use any sort of public WiFi; my favorite is moving, in a car, with my secure access router on LTE. That limits thieving opportunities and the amount of the path on the www.

Any time you deal with individuals and some smaller hole-in-wall businesses, the risk goes up. Cash is for that. Guess it might shock some people..... but I have started back using more cash for small store transactions after this summer's 2x CC number thefts.