military related EoM roundup

My End of Month roundup this month is mostly related to military personnel matters.


I got interested in MyPay again recently. I have stayed away from it in the past for several reasons, most important of which is their own statement on their front page that Effective July 1, 2005 - if you use MyPay, you must use them for virtually everything. This is, however, contradicted by their FAQ, and if I had read deeper into the site, I would have found that it merely meant that the default was no paper products, and it is still my choice.

My interest was rekindled when I saw this article:
"Hackers Gain Access to MyPay Accounts"
military dotcom report hackers and mypay accounts

The attack is done thru spyware on the user's computer, and is not the fault of security at mypay. This does however underline why I don't want (in the foreseeable future) mypay to ever become mandatory.

More on financial systems security is a banking security "feature" developed in the 60's or 70's is now a glaring security hole in the 21st century. That is, the routing and account numbers at the bottom of our checks. The fact that an airman was a victim is incidental. This is aimed at bank accounts in general, and you need to seriously review your statements each month to look for this happening to you. If you find it, I believe banks are liable under current laws - and at any rate, most all of them will take the hit instead of you (but you must file a claim).
military dotcom report one-cent-deposit scam

I am fond of saying "War is an expensive hobby"
This is short for "War is hell, and if you go at it like a hobby, it can get REAL Expensive"
Some unexpected expenses.
military dotcom report air-force might cut pay
military dotcom report interruptions in pay possibility

There has always been some friction between headquarters, and those in the trenches. This news should make it worse.

military dotcom report new regulations worrying bloggers
It is important to note that the vagueness of the new requirements is the main source of friction. Most military personnel still don't understand what exactly is changing.

military dotcom report fidelity fined for misleading troops
Here it is noteworthy that many scams such as this, some even getting on base (on post for army) facilities to make their pitches, are sponsored by retired Generals and retired Sargent Majors or Chief Master Sargent's. I don't know if these high level personnel are being duped, or if they have been playing politics so long they have lost their moral compass (and mind you, it is a small fraction of the retired honchos that are at fault). The moral of the story is, don't buy a product just because some honcho endorses it. Do the math yourself.

TRex