Posted on 09/14/2004 11:08:57 AM PDT by Cosmo
Hey, I ain't one to promulgate conspiracy theories, but here's a story for ya. I'm sorry if this strikes some as wasted bandwidth, but I thought a heads up was in order.
Someone got hold of my ATM card number this weekend and, after an espresso stop at a Singapore Cafe and a bus ticket purchase in Chile,made a $5.00 donation to Moveon.org.
I'm not sure whether to laugh about the irony or fret over the insidiousness of leftist politics.
Keep an eye on your bank records, folks, and pray that the guy who steals your credit card number finds it in his or her heart to at least donate some of the booty to the Swift Vets.
I donated 3 cents to the Clinton Library via credit card.
It cost them 35 cents to process my donation.
***We got cleaned out, and have already recouped 80% from the bank. Balanc should be restored by tomorrow, according to the bank.***
If someone got hold of your credit information, you may be in for far more trouble than your bank handled for you.
If the "someone" has enough information about you, he can use it to open NEW credit cards with OTHER credit companies.
Go to:
www,consumer.gov/idtheft
to learn how to protect yourself against other credit cards being opened in your name.
and, by all means, report the theft to the police.
That should be a "dot" and not a comma after www in my last post.
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
thanks for the tips. We are filing a report tomorrow and are going to see about changing ss numbers.
I was referring to snail mail. I sincerely hope it wasn't the Swift Vets selling my name and address, as so many others do. SwiftVets has never sold or rented nor will it ever sell or rent its donor lists or, for that matter, its email subscriber list. That said, Federal law requires certain disclosures. If you donated $1000 or more, you will appear in the report that the Swifties have to file. This filing is available to the public (see tray.com) as are all "527" filings. In theory, somebody could OCR the 400-page pdf file and turn it into a mailing list. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody did. |
Been identity thefted 5 times. The most interesting time: a summons from the DA in So Ca for assaulting a police officer and being intoxicated in public. The creep was using "identity" theft. The weirder ones? Parking tickets using my license and my name. Wrong car id, however.
Not so strange - numbers get sold over the internet, so they can pop up in far flung locations at the same time. Although it is sort of strange that they were used for puny charges. Generally when you get a stolen credit card number you have to milk it fast.
The card companies should have software to flag these anomalies, and some will call you if they notice abnormal use, for example a rash of charges on a seldom used card, far from home. Of course, that's one of the few times I rely on credit cards -- when I'm traveling.
I read that memo. It was dated 1972, I think.
Just a followup note - based on your experience and splitting my bank accounts up - I checked on my other credit cards this am and found out someone has been using my Master card on that shopping channel and WalMart online to the tune of nearly $2000. I rarely use this card and never to either of those places.
If I had not read your experience - would not have gotten taken the precautions. See what ripples you make? :o)
I am glad you looked into it. File a police report, even if not for these instances, but for future proof.
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