my identity was stolen the old fashion way when someone snooped in my dorm room and copied down personal info. nothing hitech about it!

I'm super-paranoid when it comes to giving out my information online. I always try to be careful and make sure that I virus check everything I download, do regular virus scans, and make sure that the pages I'm entering my information on are secure.

Yes.

And I've been trained to be very careful. (Mr. Goose is a Geek whose career is focused in computer security and penetration testing.)

But it happened to me and my bank card numbers were stolen and used in this fellow's nefarious Ebay scam.

The damage was less than one thousand dollars and was credited back to my account within one month. The bank refunded the full amount. It was a single pricey transaction.

But that was several years ago (more than five, less than seven). No problems since.

i woke up one morning to find about $7,000 worth of porn charges on my credit card. called the bank immediately and they shut it down, but still, scary. very scary.

I haven't, but I know a few people who've had this happened. My Brother-in-law lost most of his savings because of this.

I've had info stolen a couple of times. The first time it happened, it was the low tech way (fellow bridesmaid took my credit card out of my bag at a wedding).

The second occurrence was two small ($8 or $10) charges on my checking account. I have no idea if my info was obtained over the internet, or otherwise, but thankfully the bank was extremely helpful and stopped the problem.

Yes not money but my name and cell number and some personal information

My identity was stolen when I used my credit card to rent a truck. Awful.

I had an eBay and PayPal accounts that I rarely used or signed in to, so someone was able to help themselves to them--they tried to sell items on my site, bid on items from other sellers, and transfer themselves money through PayPal. eBay caught it right away and was great about fixing the problem. PayPal, on the other hand...not so helpful, which made me nervous since I'd just paid rent, student loan bills, etc.

oops i voted wrong. i have had my identity stolen, but not through internet

Not stolen on the internet but stolen the old fashion way - in person by a criminal co-worker.

When I went to the Bahama's. I didn't find out about it until I went to buy some things and kept getting my card declined. They cloned the card in one of the shops that I bought stuff in. Next time I go to the Bahama's I'm using cash or traveler's checks.

OMG -- people you KNOW are stealing your credit cards? In dorm rooms? Coworkers? A FELLOW BRIDESMAID? WTF is wrong with people?

I'm sorry, ya'll. That sucks.

I got a letter from my bank once stating that an ATM I had once used had been "compromised," but nothing happened. I also go a letter from my doc saying that their files were hacked, and my personal information "could have been obtained," so I'm just keeping an eye on my credit and such.

When I was 17 I once recieved a Macy's card in my name at my house. The problem was that I never even opened an account nor had I ever been to a Macy's. I hurried up and cancelled the card and found that there weren't any charges on the account. Weird.

Hey Geek, what do you think about me giving this lady in Africa my account number so that her father (who's royalty btw) can transfer all his money into my checking account?

Almost...
Because I have an eBay and Paypal account I've almost fallen victim to fake emails. It's funny because theres actually people out there that strive to make these emails look exactly the same. It's quite scary!

Oh god.. I've known some real idiots on this subject...

Please guys, if you sell something over the internet and not through a reputable company, please please please ask for cash only, make sure its within driving distance to meet them and trade. PLEASE.