Over the last few years I have actively tried to maintain very little in the way of personal information online; no facebook, myspace etc. and all online transactions through trusted third party's and banking is now either offline or requires sms verification for online use. Cookies only when I need them and they are discarded after use.

But it does only go so far and you do have to make some compromises by trusting software etc.

Paranoid, without a doubt but I do value my privacy. I guess I am a shut in.

Its the simple scams that work the best, as most people are idiots when it comes to there personal details. I've worked behind counters at service stations, people just throw their credit/fuel cards at you.

Wait long enough behind a counter in a shop and you could easily lift the credit card number, expiry date and ccv off a regular customers card just by memorising the numbers a few are a time.

and thats not even considering any stored customer data.

Come to that most people are idiots when it comes to petty theft to, fuel theft is the perfect example; hanging up the pump nozzle which causes a small tone/alarm to get the attendents attention, if they just leave the nozzle on the ground then not tone/alarm = increased chance of a clean get away.

Happened once to me over 4 years of working saturday-sunday shifts with a average of one fuel theft per weekend.

Put it this way, I get paid to play with big toys. My job entails playing around with what amounts to gun that fires sticky sand at high velocity.

I love my job.