It's perfectly simple. After you drop your credit card in the street, how long will it take before you discover it's being used? Or after it gets cloned on the Web, how much can the thief spend?

Master card says its software knows within seconds of the dodgy transaction. They can spot it. The problem is, you're the only one who can report it stolen and put a stop on it.

So they used to phone you up; but now, they send you a text. That's it.