| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Jenny
Permanent Resident
1613 Posts |
 Posted - 03/06/2005 : 09:00:22 AM
|
On Friday, I found out that some "nice" person got ahold of our bank account number, made checks, made a fake ID and went forth and spent and spent and spent. I spent the whole of the afternoon with a nice man at the bank getting things sorted out and the evening with the police filing reports. I was shaking so badly that the only thing that calmed me was knitting and knitting very slowly. I'm trying to replay the last two weeks trying to figure out where and when my account number was taken. My husband is fantasizing about being in the same room with this person for 5 minutes - the police found that amusing. I can feel myself starting to shake again - ok I need to find my knitting. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I've been warned that this will take up to and maybe over a year to finally sort out. It's a good thing I have lots and lots of projects waiting to be started.
Jenny
WA State |
|
|
Boogie
Permanent Resident
USA
3073 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 09:10:28 AM
|
I'm so sorry to hear this happen to you. I think in this day and age I'm just waiting for my turn to have to deal with this.
We've had 2 friends that had their credit card stolen. One was stolen at a shopping place when the cashier swiped the friends card through a machine that reads and stores all info having to do with the card before swiping it through the card machine to pay for purchases. Our other friend had it stolen at a gas pump. I guess there are machines that when plugged into the card readers at gas stations will pull out the last card used there. it's becomeing all too common to have your info stolen.
I hope you get all sorted out soon. Knit knit knit.
amy
http://theboogerblog.blogspot.com
http://www.spunkyhats.com |
 |
|
|
shaggy
Permanent Resident
USA
4125 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 09:33:15 AM
|
Jenny so sorry to hear of this happening to you
I guess it is possible that they may have found info in your trash can
[img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/animal/1/animal60.gif[/img] [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/animal/1/animal60.gif[/img] [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/animal/1/animal60.gif[/img][img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/love/1/love62.gif[/img]
shaggy
Every day a peddler pulled his cart of wool from his home to the village market. It was a long trip. He had to travel around the perimeter of a large lake that was owned by the town tycoon, a modernday scrooge. One day during the winter the lake froze over. The peddler realized that he could cut off 2 miles from his trip if he crossed over the lake. He was spotted halfway across the lake by the tycoon. Scrooge came racing out of his mansion and screamed at the peddler, "I’ll be danged if I let anyone pull the wool over my ice!" |
|
|
|
kbshee
Permanent Resident
USA
4130 Posts |
|
|
fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 12:24:50 PM
|
Jenny,
I sympathize completely, I had my identity stolen a few years back. I found out when one day they shut off my electricity because "You haven't paid your bill in months". I showed them my receipts to prove I did not owe them anything and then they said, not that house, your other one. Except I didn't own another one. It took 2 days to get the address of "my other house" from the power company, then armed with that I found out all utilities there were being charged to me. I notified police but they did nothing, saying that I had to have given the information to them and it was my word against theirs. It turns out it was a mobile home where about 6 young men were living and one had dated one of my daughters a couple of times. Evidently he liften my S.S. number and driver's license information when he picked her up. We had to go 2 weeks without electricity because it took me that long to get enough money together to get it turned on again. And the perpetrators got away with it. I set up all my utility accounts with PIN numbers so that only I could make changes in them. I also contacted the landlord at the mobile home park and informed him I was not responsible for anything that went on over there. He kicked them out.
fran |
|
|
|
kadiddly
Permanent Resident
USA
3076 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 12:34:10 PM
|
ouch, I had someone steal one of my bank card numbers a couple months ago. Luckily, we caught it quickly, I didn't have much money in the account to begin with, and my mom works at the bank that the account was with. The account is in Illinios (where I grew up and my parents still live) and I live in California, so I do a lot of online banking. I went to check my balance one day, and noticed several charges from Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. I hadn't been to the Midwest for several months, so I knew they weren't from me! Also, several of the transactions had been denied because of insufficient funds in the account, as I only had about $60 in it at the time and they kept trying to use it to fill up their gas tank. After about two refills, it didn't work so well, heh. I contacted my mom at the bank and she got me started talking to the proper authorities. I got the money back, and a new card number, but as far as I know they haven't caught the person. Maybe next time they should at least be smart enough to try to steal from people who have money in their accounts!
Of all the words of tongue and pen,
the saddest are these: "It might have been."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
|
|
|
Miss_Lizzyisaknitter
Chatty Knitter
USA
260 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 12:39:42 PM
|
i too almost had identity theft happen but the bank stopped the process because it looked suspicious. i got a letter from them tellin me that my card could no longer be used, i called them and they said someone from romania tried to use my card. i couldn't believe it, like they were going to get any money off it cuz there was only 1 dollar in the account but still, its scary! i wish people didn't have to be so cruel. but what goes around comes around i say.
Lizzy
~~Proud Knitter~~
mom to Jaemie & Christopher Jr
|
|
|
|
Miss_Lizzyisaknitter
Chatty Knitter
USA
260 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 12:41:04 PM
|
oops forgot to reply to the other posts! i'm sorry for what happened to you ladies and i hope that you wont be victims again. fran, i cannot believe that the police did nothing to charge those men! :O
Lizzy
~~Proud Knitter~~
mom to Jaemie & Christopher Jr
|
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 12:56:19 PM
|
Don't you need a PIN for your bank cards?
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
kadiddly
Permanent Resident
USA
3076 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 3:12:15 PM
|
not always, if they're trying to use them as credit cards or whatever. They only tried to use it at an atm (where they would need a PIN) once
Of all the words of tongue and pen,
the saddest are these: "It might have been."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 3:34:08 PM
|
Our cards you need the PIN every time.
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
yarnlover
Permanent Resident
1730 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 3:36:14 PM
|
This also almost happened to me - years ago before identity theft was so common. I went to my bank to make a deposit and learned the story. A day or two before a couple came in to the bank and wanted to deposit a check in my account, with cash back. The clerk asked if they were doing this for me, luckily it was a small bank and she remembered me. The woman said "no, she was me." Too bad, becasue the clerk knew that was a lie.
I don't remember all the details, but somehow she called the police. Meanwhile the couple became suspicious, and walked out. The clerk followed them, and was able to detain them til the police came. I never did find out what happened to them, but later did find out that the mailbox where I put my bills had been robbed. I'd dropped mail there along with a friend, and both of us had all our bills unpaid that month and my friend inquired at the p.o. branch and was told about the theft. I was always so grateful that bank clerk knew me, and cared enough to stop the crooks.
Someone recently told me to use only initials and last name on checks as the thief won't know if you are a man or a woman. Also use a p.o. box or work address if possible.
This is getting long, but one more thing. I had a client last year who found out he was a victim of id theft. He thinks it happened becasue when he was a kid, there was a program at his school to engrave things with the SSN. Years later, he married and moved to another state. He gave a lot of his old school stuff to his parents to store. Then a few years more passed by and the parents were downsizing, and gave all that stuff to charity. So there it was - some sports equipment with the name and ssn engraved, just waiting at the local Salvation Army Thrift shop. He found out when applying for his mortgage, and luckily, not a lot of damage was done, but still quite a hassle.
Good luck with getting your theft straightened out. |
|
|
|
HoJo
Permanent Resident
USA
1474 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 4:03:52 PM
|
Our own police chief was the victim of identity theft when her neice's neighbor stole checks out of the neices' mailbox (happened to be neice's bday, so the whole family got nailed).
It took almost 5 years and multiple thoussands of dollars to get fixed.
She reminds that we are responsible for our own financial health.
Never carry your social security number with you or your checks with your license.
HoJo
"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels." Faith Whittesley
My blog: www.fullthreadahead.com/blog |
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 4:53:42 PM
|
Is it common to carry cheques(oops - checks LOL)on you in the US? Most people I know don't so it because hardly any places accept them anymore.
I keep my bank and credit cards separate from my drivers license, and I never keep my passport or SIN(SSN) on my person, well unless I'm leaving the country or have been hired by someone.
I also use my work address for everything, so hopefully if anyone tried anything the CC issuers and bank would clue in. They have my home address but all mailings go elsewhere.
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
twstdstchs
Chatty Knitter
178 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 5:53:57 PM
|
Good luck, Jenny. I hope they nail that person!
I would caution everyone to be cautious of what they leave in the mailboxes. I know some people put their mail out the night before.
When I lived in VA and went to the DMV they wanted to put my SSN on my driver's license. I said "No Way!" They issued me a different number. That number gets written on your checks by the cashier!
Yes, it is common to carry your checkbook here is the U.S. I use mine less and less but they are accepted almost everywhere. S. |
|
|
|
Diane
Gabber Extraordinaire
366 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 7:17:07 PM
|
I posted this somewhere else when this topic was touched on...I foolishly gave out my SSN number about 10 years ago to someone posing as a rep. of a group I was in....nothing happened, but one thing you can do is contact all three major credit bureaus and have them put a fraud alert on you and your husband's credit reports. A fraud alert will require you to be called before any credit is issued in your name. If the person tries to open a credit card account or other account, you will be contacted and can stop it. I also bought a shredder and shred just about everything, all those credit offers, etc., I get in the mail for the crooks who go through trash.....
a police officer told me one time that people who steal credit/debit cards tend to go to gas stations first and use the card at the pump. That way, they can figure out whether the card is good or not without having to have a face to face transaction with a clerk.
Sorry it happened to you, hope they catch the person. |
|
|
|
knottyknitter
Permanent Resident
USA
3702 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 9:02:20 PM
|
I had my checkbook lifted at the grocery store once. I realized it was missing only a few hours later and the theif had already written several checks. Fortunately, I found out early and the bank took care of everything.
It used to be that a lot of states used your SSN as your driver's license number. I didn't know any of them were still doing that though.
It amazes me how many clerks do not ask for ID when I use my credit cards, to check the signature. On my visa/debit card, the signature area is rubbed blank and you can't resign it so they should be asking every single time I use it as a credit card. On my other one, I wrote "see photo id" instead of signing it and I still have people take the card without checking it! It absolutely amazes me to the point that I sometimes actually thank clerks for asking for my ID because I'm so used to them being so lax. |
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 9:57:40 PM
|
YOu need to show ID when you use a credit card? That's new to me.
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
knottyknitter
Permanent Resident
USA
3702 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2005 : 10:21:09 PM
|
Mokey,
No - but if the signature is no longer readable, they SHOULD (are supposed to, I guess) ask you for another form of ID showing your signature. In the case of my Visa/debit card, I use it so much in the ATMs that the signature is completely rubbed off and you can't re-sign it - the ink will not work once it's been signed and rub bed off. So, thy should ask me for ID when I use it as a credit card (no PIN - signature proof instead). How else can they match up what you just signed to your signature? Or, if you do as I mentioned and write "see photo id" on your credit card, then they should ask you to show photo ID - people do that to protect themselves against credit card fraud. It's a good thing, in my opinion. |
|
|
|
mokey
Permanent Resident
15375 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2005 : 12:01:35 AM
|
I get it now. But my card I can sign over when it wears out. I've had a clerk ask me to sign the card too.
"I firmly believe the Bible is the misinterpreted word of God." Mokey
www.femiknits.blog-city.com |
|
|
|
vicky by the bay
Permanent Resident
USA
4768 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2005 : 06:50:38 AM
|
Here in Northern California they are asking for picture ID when purchasing w/ a credit card sometimes. I always thank the clerk when they do. I have no problem showing it and would like it if all stores asked for it. I am so so sorry about your financial mess! Lets not forget the fraudulent e-mails we get at times also. I just received one this AM telling me my MSN account was going to close due to misinformation on my application and they asked me to fill in my information again. SS number, credit card number, address, and date of birth. I looked carefully and saw it didn't have the MSN butterfly at my inbox. All true MSN communications will have the butterfly at the beginning of the inbox information.
I responded to the e-mail stating if I received anything else from them I would be contacting my DA. Hope that ends this attempt to get my information fraudulently.
Vicky (Queen O'Yarn archivist-QYA) |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
