Posted on 07/16/2010 2:39:37 PM PDT by Sally'sConcerns
I'm physically handicapped so I do some of my shopping (with reputable) companies. I also have my bank account set up to automatically pay my bills in the event I'm in the hospital.
Today I was reviewing my online statement and updating the names of the companies I have done business with.
Imagine my surprise when for the first time since 11/96 I found 3 charges which were unrecognizable. Needless to say I called the bank for more info.
All 3 charges were from an organization I want nothing to do with and didn't know. BTW: I did not lose my debit card nor do I randomly use the card on sites which either don't support ideals I don't believe in or on sites which aren't recognizable.
Two of the charges were done on 06/21/10 (while the other charge is currently pended. Once the charge becomes a debit instead of pending that too will be removed from my account.
The 2 unauthorized charges were made by ACORN and we're reasonably sure the third one is also. I hesitate to list the web addresses as they could have been hacked.
By charging such small potato's I imagine they think they're flying just under the radar. If the bank doesn't 'charge off' the charge for 28.91, I'm seriously considering contacting the FBI. (or the SS depending on which entity the fraud falls under.
This is becoming more common. My landlord was just ripped off for $10,800. He also has auto pay. The bank is telling him it was Nigerian scammers. lol
Also on every account that will let me program 'triggers' to email me about various 'events' I have emails sent to me. This works well....
Go get them!! You may have uncovered the tip of an iceberg, so to speak, of national fraud. It would be great to pin ACORN’S ears to te wall and their A$$ to the floor. What a great national EXPOSE!!
I also NEVER have utility bills, etc. auto-debited. These people get checks as antiquated as checks are.
You have to be careful. I would get off of auto pay.
I think Clark Howard mentioned something like this on his program. Credit Cards scammers have learned that lots of little charges will go undetected for months if not years. And the amounts are so low that often times, just refunding the stolen money and disappearing is enough to stay out of hot water. But then there the untolds that _don’t_ notice, so the bucks rack up. It takes some effort to pull a ring of small-fry scammers down.
Good job on catching the scammers. I’d report the shady practice to the authorities ASAP.
Whether or not you receive your funds back, file charges against them. If it is a case where they are seting up schemes to bait, switch, or phish websites these prix need to go down hard for this criminal act!
We are like you we never have any bills auto debited. Utilities get checks.
If you ever get into a dispute with them about anything, they have the keys to everything you have.
Did he give out any banking details to email correspondents, ostensibly to facilitate funds transfers or such (just not the ones he was expecting)?
Recently, I've received several emails offering easy and lucrative part-time work, such as this one from "Dr Steve Bruce":
I would be very interested in offering you a part-time paying job in which you could earn up to $7,000 a month as extra income. opening an account would have been my best choice if I was not working on a deadline that must meet a 24 hour turn around time,other options are not on my side due to time, money, and requirements.JOB DESCRIPTION: Work as my payment assistant in charge of collecting and processing the payments from the associates. 1. Receive payment (checks) from my Clients 2. Cash the Payments at your Bank 3. Deduct 10%, which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed. 4. You will then forward the balance via Western Union Money Transfer according to my instruction.
REQUIREMENT:
18 years or older. Responsible, Reliable and Trustworthy Available to work a minimum 3-4 hours per week. Able to check and respond to emails often. Easy telephone access.
IS THIS LEGAL? YES It is very legal, Doing this job is 100% safe and legal. I would be glad if you accept my proposal for an opportunity to make up 10% of each transaction completed.
HAVE YOU HANDLED LARGE FUNDS, HOW MUCH AND HOW SUCCESSFULLY?
Please reply via email with complete information as requested: A. NAME: B. STREET ADDRESS (NOT P.O BOX): C. CITY: D. STATE: E. ZIP CODE: F. COUNTRY: G. MOBILE NUMBER: H. AGE: I. SEX: J. OCCUPATION: K. E MAIL:
In at least one case, the sender's IP was in Lagos.
The way it works is, you get a large cashier's check
. You keep
your 10% commission and send the other 90% via Western Union as instructed. Then, when the cashier's check bounces a couple of days later, you are hosed, since money sent via Western Union is virtually untraceable and impossible to recover.
Only thing I’ve had on auto pay was a car loan and it was paying the bank where I had the checking account.
This spring my credit card number was stolen after someone hacked monoprice.com. They used it at iTunes, Microsoft services (probably to get iTunes to work), and some other charge.
Credit card company locked my account and took care of everything. New card got here in 5 days, very happy with them. Now I use Google Checkout for most purchases.
More than likely ACORN didn’t steal your card number but someone who supports them probably made a “donation” in your name.... sort of.
Dispute it and use a credit card instead of a debit card. More protections and some, like mine, give 1% cash back to you.
BIG ASS MISTAKE. Next thing I knew a few charges piled up on an Amazon-like product ordering board. AMEX Fraud department to their credit caught the transactions as they happened and stopped them (probably because of the shipping address). They cancelled the card and issued me a new one pronto.....they know their stuff....been with them since 1981 and never got caught on anything except this and this was a dumbass error I WILL NOT REPEAT AGAIN.
I check my acct online several times a month. Your info passes through many hands, and it only takes one crook.
No. He was out of the country. But he does use a wireless connection that, I'm betting, isn't encrypted at home. And he does some banking online. I told him to get that puppy hardwired.
He was told that "he" requested 2 ATM cards and they were used to transfer funds to an account in Pennsylvania. He's lived in NJ for 30 years. He left the country the 21st. He was ripped off the 25th. The bank is going to reimburse but now he's afraid and no one is giving him pointers on how to avoid having it happen again. Also his accounts are closed and he can't get at his own funds until new accounts are processed. They said about a week.
Have a credit union credit and debit card. When I use the debit card in the Philippines there are several “pending charges” in different amounts, for example $21.76, $21.72 and 21.55. The actual amount was $21.75.
The amount of $21.75 is deducted from my checking account and the pending charges are held against the account for 15 days until there is a final posting. The pending charges are never fully processed.
Not sure why this happens.
I love payiing by check and I really do not like the auto pay thing. When I pay by check I have some control over when the payment is made at least I feel like I do.
When you do this, you give them everything they need to empty your account should they feel the need. Normally, they don’t because they are responsible, mostly. But, this doesn’t stop some connected employee from deciding to get rich quick....don’t give them the ammunition.
I have my banking and credit cards set up to notify me via email of ANY charges, payments or deposits, withdrawals to the accounts.
I have only had this happen once. I noticed a charge of $9.95 which I had no idea what it was. I phoned the bank and it was a company in Calfornia. I wasn’t absolutely sure it wasn’t legitimate and just went ahead and let it go through.
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