Tokyo man arrested for memorizing credit card info of over 1,300 customers to make purchases

Humza

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WTF?! Is human memory a blessing or a curse? 34-year-old Taniguchi might have an opinion given that his photographic memory allowed him to memorize all credit card details of customers - 16-digit number, name, expiry date and security code - by the time it took to process their purchase. He would then jot them down in a notebook for running a pawn shop.

Seeing credit cards and fraud in one sentence isn't a new occurrence, but one involving a quick brain certainly is. As opposed to using data-stealing malware or other interception methods, a cashier at a mall in Kōtō, Japan was apparently able to use his eidetic memory to steal credit card details of customers as their purchases were processed at the POS terminal.

Yusuki Taniguchi would store these details in a notebook to make purchases online. The items he bought were then sold through a pawn shop and the resulting money was used to pay for his living expenses.

In March this year, Taniguchi ordered a pair of shoulder bags worth $2,500 (270,000 yen) and gave his apartment's address for delivery. The bags arrived and so did the police, who were able to track him down with this unauthorized purchase.

After arresting Taniguchi, the police found the notebook that contained the credit card details of hundreds of customers and are currently linking this information with past incidents to investigate and determine the extent of Taniguchi's crimes.

Permalink to story.

 
I can see eventually a lot of credit card companies doing what they did with my Apple Card:

Eliminating numbers on the card and linking the card to a downloadable app.

It's actually a brilliant way to deal with purchases where NFC isn't available.

Being able to automatically talk to customer service in-app.
Being able to generate a new code in-app.
Tracking individual purchases and itemizing.

It's absolutely brilliant.
 
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Needless to say, despite the claims of so many companies including the credit card companies, there is NO foolproof system out there and for the foreseeable future, there is none on the horizon. The only foolproof system is paying with cold, hard, cash .... oh yeah, and carrying a .357 to protect that too!
 
I just don't understand why people are stupid enough to think they can defraud credit cards?

Every Point of Sale in some way records the purchase and can be used to investigate a crime. Video Evidence destroys you.

If you really want to steal large amounts of money you should apply for a job with the credit card company or a student loan company.
 
I don't commend what he did, but:

Humans are an amazing species. The extent of their abilities are astounding.

He may have used his abilities for wrong purposes, but I can only identify the potentials a human can achieve.

I won't be surprised if a spy agency may recruit him for this purpose.
 
That's why customers should not be asked to show their ID to the cashier.
It gives the cashier access to their date of birth, address and zip code.
 
Needless to say, despite the claims of so many companies including the credit card companies, there is NO foolproof system out there and for the foreseeable future, there is none on the horizon. The only foolproof system is paying with cold, hard, cash .... oh yeah, and carrying a .357 to protect that too!

Counterfeit money? Technically that is a way to still fool the system.
We should go back to bartering lol, but we might find people dressing up coyotes as sheep.
 
"Is human memory a blessing or a curse?"

A blessing for sure. The curse is using that memory for sinful desires against God, for which the penalty is death, and a second death to be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
 
I don't commend what he did, but:

Humans are an amazing species. The extent of their abilities are astounding.

He may have used his abilities for wrong purposes, but I can only identify the potentials a human can achieve.

I won't be surprised if a spy agency may recruit him for this purpose.
Why would they hire someone who was dumb enough to buy **** on his own address?
 
Why would they hire someone who was dumb enough to buy **** on his own address?
They would simply be hiring him for his eidetic memory... kind of like how you don’t hire an nfl wide receiver for his brains, but for his athletic ability.
 
Give that man a reward, not jail. Oh, right, he stole too few card numbers.

If he stole 400,000,000 card numbers nothing would happen to him. Do they ever catch those hackers that attack largest global web services, steal their data and sell them? Very rarely. And you know it's impossible to have privacy nowadays, so how come they never catch those thieves, but they always catch small-time thieves? Because big thieves work for the governments and criminals with connections in the governments. That's why.
 
They would simply be hiring him for his eidetic memory... kind of like how you don’t hire an nfl wide receiver for his brains, but for his athletic ability.
It's spy agencies we're talking about. I don't think they would hire anyone without a brain. They also likely have spy cameras which also have eidetic memory.
 
It's spy agencies we're talking about. I don't think they would hire anyone without a brain. They also likely have spy cameras which also have eidetic memory.
Lol... I’d be happy to bet you any sum you want that spy agencies hire some people who have “low brain power”...
it’s not like the movies - tons of “assets” have one skill only (weapons, vision, memory, etc) or sometimes even none - like nephews of agents...
Check out some documentaries on the KGB during the Cold War and you’ll find that there were plenty of dullards whose only job was to copy US newspaper headlines for their superiors...
 
Needless to say, despite the claims of so many companies including the credit card companies, there is NO foolproof system out there and for the foreseeable future, there is none on the horizon. The only foolproof system is paying with cold, hard, cash .... oh yeah, and carrying a .357 to protect that too!

They could put currency in an implantable chip...like they plan. Revelation 6-13
 
Well he memorized them and wrote them down so it's not like it sounds in the title that he had 1300 credit card numbers floating in his head.

This is really very common and is a risk we take when we hand over the card to make payments. 2FA for online purchases should be a minimum.
 
Too bad he didn't use his powers for good.
EXACTLY!

I wish that I had just a decent brain with decent memory but when I hear of a person like him with a brain like his, well, he should be on the top instead of looking at bars on a cell window.....
 
Lol... I’d be happy to bet you any sum you want that spy agencies hire some people who have “low brain power”...
it’s not like the movies - tons of “assets” have one skill only (weapons, vision, memory, etc) or sometimes even none - like nephews of agents...
Check out some documentaries on the KGB during the Cold War and you’ll find that there were plenty of dullards whose only job was to copy US newspaper headlines for their superiors...
Sure, if they hire janitors ofcourse they don't need intelligent people for that job but someone with eidetic memory will probably have a task that also requires some brain power. This whole conversation is silly, I don't even know why we're discussing it. :p
 
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