Idea for people who forget their PINs

[Blobbenstein]

I had this idea that someone who wasn't good at remembering their PIN could have a card with lots of icons with their real PIN under one of them, and the other ones could be random, like this:


Maybe on a real card like this there would be a lot more icons. Then at a glance someone could see their PIN, but someone who stole their wallet, or purse would just see lots of different numbers, and if they tried any of them they would have a much reduced chance of getting the correct one.
You could add in other things like putting the number backwards or having 5 numbers with either the first number to be ignored or the last, which would make it even harder for a criminal to get the right one.

Cash point machines only let you enter a number 3 times or so, I think.

I thought it was an idea; maybe it is too much of a risk having the real number at all.

 

[Blobbenstein]

Or instead of icons, there could be people's names.

 

[Amy SF]

Wouldn't it be easier to simply tattoo one's PIN on one's thigh? Then all you have to do is dash into the nearest loo and check.

 

[Blobbenstein]

yes but if someone found it out then you would need another tattoo...could get messy.


I think authentication is a big problem....pretty scary I think, especially for people who have problems with their memory.

I use the same password for loads of sites myself.....not my bank though.

 

[Blobbenstein]

you could have like 3 of these cards in your wallet/purse trebling the safety of your PIN, or password.

 

[Blobbenstein]

you can sometimes hide things in plain sight, I think Sherlock Holmes said.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I would think that there would be no way that any bank would issue a reminder card like this, not with the details of the real PIN on the card in any way, even coded, but someone could run a business making these cards, if it was a good idea.

 

[Blobbenstein]

of course that means giving out your PIN to someone, or some website, so there is that problem....maybe that would invalidate some of the account's protection, as far as the bank was concerned, if you did that or even had the card....oh well.

 

[KLS52]

I was doing pretty good with my passwords until last weekend. Normally, I use the same one for specific categories, but I'm noticing now that many times you have to use at least one uppercase letter and a number and a certain number of characters. So that started making things a little more difficult between my older PWs and the newer ones.

Anyway, I went to schedule my mortgage payment and ended up locking myself out. I called online service and expected to answer some security questions but they told me I had to go to a local branch office and they were sorry for the inconvenience. Ugh. I was so annoyed. I mean, it's my mortgage...who is going to hack in there and want to make a payment for me, lol? I have no other banking accounts with them. Sigh.

 

[SummerRain]

I think it'd probably be safer just to put a discrete reminder somewhere on your phone. If someone nicks your wallet, they'll have the card in the wallet with your reminder card. It's much less likely someone will steal your card and also your phone (especially if you keep them in different places on your person) and dig around on your phone notes/messages/phone numbers/etc for a subtle message about your pin number. For example, you could put it in a fake number with a random name and pad out the beginning/end with other random numbers.

ETA: But I don't know if that would invalidate your protection... I don't have a problem with remembering mine.

Another thing... people worry about writing passwords down, but I don't buy that it isn't safe, realistically it's more likely someone will hack your password using software that cracks easy passwords then someone will break into your house, look for your notebook and THEN steal your identity.

 

[AeryFairy]

When I get a new PIN, I write a fake shopping list and keep it in my wallet until I've remembered the number. Like;

3 onions
1 loaf of bread
8 eggs
4 cartons of apple juice

 

[shyvas]

In theory if you write down your pin code even if in a disguised form, is a breech of the account's terms and conditions and is "considered negligent".
The bank would have to prove that it is your fault that the pin code has been used. At the end of the day , they would have to fork out the money but there is a certain delay.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/may/04/banks-pin-card-fraud

 

[thefadedone]

I was doing pretty good with my passwords until last weekend. Normally, I use the same one for specific categories, but I'm noticing now that many times you have to use at least one uppercase letter and a number and a certain number of characters. So that started making things a little more difficult between my older PWs and the newer ones.

Anyway, I went to schedule my mortgage payment and ended up locking myself out. I called online service and expected to answer some security questions but they told me I had to go to a local branch office and they were sorry for the inconvenience. Ugh. I was so annoyed. I mean, it's my mortgage...who is going to hack in there and want to make a payment for me, lol? I have no other banking accounts with them. Sigh.

This annoys the hell out of me.

When I get a new PIN, I write a fake shopping list and keep it in my wallet until I've remembered the number. Like;

3 onions
1 loaf of bread
8 eggs
4 cartons of apple juice

Brilliant idea!

 

[Clueless Git]

When I get a new PIN, I write a fake shopping list and keep it in my wallet until I've remembered the number. Like;

3 onions
1 loaf of bread
8 eggs
4 cartons of apple juice

Cool idea

My trick was to have a list of phone numbers with the PINs 'coded' within them.

 

[KLS52]

Damn, that's a lot of apple juice!

 

[AeryFairy]

Damn, that's a lot of apple juice!

That's actually our standard weekly purchase of the stuff! Boyfriend drinks a lot of it.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, no that is not my real PIN!

 

[shyvas]

Wouldn't it be easier to simply tattoo one's PIN on one's thigh? Then all you have to do is dash into the nearest loo and check.

When I travel abroad I stick it inside my shoe.

I have 2 credit cards so that is 2 pin codes to remember. One is dead easy and the 2 nd one is a bit complicated. However, I never write it down when I'm overhere. Problem is in the US, cards aren't chip checked as they are swiped unless you use a US credit card. After having spent a whole month not using the pin, it always gets confusing when you arrive in the UK.

 

[Amy SF]

I was actually joking about the tattoo, in case anyone was thinking of trying it.

Anyway, I think if you tie a PIN to something relevant in your life, you would have an easier time of remembering it. Let's say you pick a word that has great meaning for you. Turn it around or make an anagram of it, and then convert it to numbers, say, the equivalent numbers on a telephone pad. If you remember the word (which I think is easier to remember than a series of numbers), then you would have a specific set of numbers to work with.

This is what I did with one of my supermarket loyalty cards, which also functions as a debit card when I'm shopping at that supermarket. When I first set up the card, I picked a word that had meaning for me, and converted it to the equivalent numbers on the credit card touch pad. Ever since, whenever I'm using the card and I have trouble remembering the sequence of numbers, I just think of the equivalent word and I have no problem.