Inactive accounts are of course closed out after a reasonable period of time.Inactive accounts have been known to be emptied. One large bank recently stole lots of money by creating fake accounts. There are lots of ways to rob people even in a secure system.
This is commonly accounts with a low balance which cannot justify the cost
of maintaining it. In landlording, if a tenant has a unclaimed security deposit
refund, I'm required to close it out & send the money to the state.
It's called "escheating".
Crime exists.It sounds hypothetical to you, but I've known several people who were employed in industrial security and espionage, and in government intelligence...some as freelancers, others as full-time. Some things do not happen frequently, but happen they do. There's also a literature to be read if interested.
it always will.
I acknowledge this.
But isn't that outside of normal financial transactions?
It doesn't appear to have any bearing on the OP's theme.
I'll stick with cash as long as I can.All it takes is a few minor changes in law and implementation and suddenly a small oligarchy controls the economy...oh wait...
I agree...cash is best...but that isn't how our economy operates, and its becoming less and less a factor.
But governments hate the anonymity of it.
It's the main reason we're seeing the phasing out of large denomination bills.