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Across the Fence:  SO Upset - Account Hacked, Unknown Charges... UGH!  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 08:30:22 AM
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Hi girls -
So, Saturday we get a letter from our former insurance company that sometime last year our personal information, along with that of most of their clients, was stolen when an unknown source hacked their accounts. The letter was pretty matter-of-fact, a small apology, and that they were offering a free year of credit service through a major company. We just kind of laughed it off because we are far from wealthy people - wouldn't the hackers be disappointed if they tried to get anything out of us! I placed the letter on my buffet and kind of let it go. Well, this morning, I checked my email and found that there is a very small charge on one of our debit cards from a company that neither I nor my husband has ever heard of. I called the card company and they are taking care of it, but they said they really have to allow the charge to go through before they can do anything, but when it happens, they will take care of it immediately and automatically. Long story short, this card is linked to our checking account, which, of course, worries me. I have seen a lot of times in the past where a company puts a small charge - like a dollar - through before processing the entire amount... for example, if we buy gasoline, there will be a $1 charge showing as pending until the actual $50 charge goes through. It's similar with our utility companies. I asked the agent if they would be able to stop the payment if it goes through for more than the small amount that is currently pending? Unfortunately, no. The entire amount has to be processed, but they will credit me back automatically. This means this stinking charge will hit our checking and could cause NSF fees, etc., but the card company will credit us for those as well. In the meantime, they are cancelling my card and issuing a new one, which should arrive in about two weeks.
Anyhow, this hitting my bank account is just not something I want to deal with... so I called the bank. They said there is nothing they can do - if it comes through, they can't stop it, either, but if it does happen, I can go down, fill out forms and eventually they will credit back any overdraft fees if they occur. <Sigh> So, in light of the hacking incident and this unknown charge, I decided to call our branch manager to see if she thinks we should just cancel our accounts and open new ones all together. Pain in the dupa? Yes. Peace of mind? Yes. But she's out of the office until tomorrow. So, now I wait with a really ill feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm sure this is something that can be taken care of in time, but right now I feel violated, insecure and very upset to say the least. It's so frustrating.
Have any of you ever experienced anything like this? Do you have any advice, recommendations or words of comfort to share? I am just so uneasy about all of this - I can't really concentrate. We don't have a lot of money - they can't take what we don't have; but they sure can hurt our credit, cause fees by messing with what little we do have, and make life chaotic until everything irons out. It's so upsetting because we have been working so hard to become debt free, to not incur any debt and to keep our credit clean. This is such a blow to my head and heart this morning. It's going to be an eternity til our branch manager calls tomorrow!
Thanks for letting me vent. I really need to get back to homeschool. Please say a prayer for us that this won't go any farther than it already has - I don't think I could take it if it got BIG!!! - and that everything gets straightened out quickly. I don't mean to make it out to be any worse than it already is, but this has really shaken me up this morning. I hate that it's all up in the air like this. I'm sure it will all be okay eventually - I am just not good at waiting, I guess.
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Nov 28 2012 08:34:22 AM |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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tammyc
True Blue Farmgirl
698 Posts
Tammy
Danville
California
USA
698 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 08:58:45 AM
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Wow Nini, how ironic that this topic should come up today! Yesterday morning I got myself all ready to head out early for some Christmas shopping..first stop Michael's Crafts. I was in the store a good 45 minutes, went to pay for my purchase which was only about $100. Swiped my card and it said "select another card". Well, of course I knew it had to be wrong so I told her to try it as a credit card...no luck, again and again..no luck. Meanwhile line is forming and I am mortified. I step out of line and call the 800 number on my card. When I enter my PIN it says "unable to identify this account" UH OH. I leave Michaels...go to nearby bank ATM machine put in my card press account balance and it says "Per Customer Request cannot access account". Now I am freaking OUT! I go home, get online and see that the night before someone "telephone transferred" $7000 out of one of our accounts into our most used checking account, and then proceeded to charge $4000 worth of charges in ITALY (including a nice $1700 stay at a spa hotel....grrrrr). The bank had froze our accounts immediately, but it would have been nice if they told us first so I didn't try to shop!!! Anyway, my husband and I went down to our branch after he got off work, and our manager bent over backwards to help us, changed all our accounts, gave us a temporary ATM card, etc., etc. Said the $4000 would be credited back today. It was a horrible experience, but our banker was wonderful. Nini, they should give you a temporary ATM for sure. And she told us she would rush our new ones out 2nd day air. You should not have to wait two weeks!!! We were lucky to catch it so quickly, and lucky that they didn't try to drain all our accounts, but still it is such a violating experience. We did not incur any fees or anything like that, but if that is the case your bank should credit them back automatically and you shouldn't have to fill out any forms or anything. Our banker just made a phone call to the fraud department and it was taken care of. Now we do have something called "private banking" at our bank which I think has been very helpful for us. I don't know if your bank has that, but you might look into it. Our service is really really good. I feel your pain, and hope your problem gets resolved quickly. Meanwhile, I'll be slinking back to Michael's today with my temporary ATM card...I have never had a card denied before and it was soooo embarrassing! Good luck to you!!!
"Be who you are and say what you like because the people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind" - Dr. Seuss |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 09:06:43 AM
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Hugs Nini, I hope it gets straightened out soon.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 09:10:03 AM
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Oh Nini, how terribly frustrating.
I once had a charge go on my card attached to my checking from a company I had never heard of. It was quite expensive, like over $30. It had an 800# attached to it when I checked on my account. I wrote it down and called them. Turns out it was for a kids'/family magazine subscription. Prior to that charge, I had flown with my daughter several times to see my parents, and we accumulated enough "miles" for free one year magazine subscriptions. One of those was for that magazine. When that magazine expired, I did not renew it, as we weren't crazy about it. Almost a year later this charge comes up on my account, with just that 800# for a description. The lady on the phone told me it was a renew of that magazine, which I did not authorize, for said magazine that by this time, had expired over a year prior to the charge. I had not received an issue of the magazine yet, nor did I want it. I told her I wanted a credit, to which she said she could not do that, because she had gotten "verbal authorization" for the charge. I asked from who. She replied, "Someone named 'Audrey'". Caught! My daughter was six years old at the time, and did not even answer the phone. This unscrupulous company worked with the airlines, offering magazines for "miles". When the subscription was up, they would charge "renewals" to the credit card used to charge the tickets for the flights. One trip was paid with the card attached to my checking. I knew that it was illegal for them to store my cc info, and warned her that if I did not get a credit I would seek legal action. I did get my credit, and had the bank issue me a new card. There was no fine print stating that renewals would be automatic and at such an inflated rate (a subscription card in the magazine had one year for $12, not $30). The other thing is, thank goodness I wrote the 800# down. It only appeared while the charge was "pending". After it went through, there was no number, just a city of where the company was based. So, my lesson was, check your account frequently, even if there is no activity, call immediately if you see something like that, and try to use a card that isn't attached to a checking account for online purchases, etc. (And use it like a cash/atm so you don't rack up cc bills)!
Hope it works out and that you do not have a lot of red tape, especially at the holidays.
Big hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 09:47:22 AM
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Wow! We had that happen a number of years ago, totally cleaned out our account. We were much younger and much poorer in those days, tho we're are still not rich by any stretch of the imagination now. They said at the bank that they would look into it, but we were left with bills to pay and little to eat in the dead of winter. We eventually after much harassment on our part got the bank to help us, but only got some of our money back. We took our banking else where and have worried about that happening again. Any little glitch and we are on it like hawks.
I'm really sorry Nini *hugs* I hope that she gets back to you early and that this gets dealt with promptly.
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://pinterest.com/annikaloveshats/
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pinokeeo
True Blue Farmgirl
559 Posts
Phyllis
Oregon
USA
559 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 10:35:03 AM
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Oh, Nini, this is awful. I feel for you. Several years back, our bank lost a bunch of customer information, and we had to go through steps to transfer all of our accounts. We were lucky that we weren't hacked and didn't lose anything, but it's a real pain when you have to cover yourself because of somebody else's mistake.
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I cannot master those things that I have not tried.
check out my artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/PiNOKEEOs |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 12:24:03 PM
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While you are at it, contact the credit reporting agencies. Someone stole my identity some years ago; they used it to take out a loan and open several accounts with companies I had never heard of. I am still trying to straighten out my credit!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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darlenelovesart
True Blue Farmgirl
8073 Posts
darlene
Loleta
California
USA
8073 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 12:32:01 PM
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Oh Nini,
I am so sorry this has happened to you. People are so evil. I had a bill I paid with my credit card once and they kept it on their list so if I didn't pay right away they could take it out of my account without asking. That happened one time and I was lucky the bank backed me up and credited me and gave me a new account. I learned from that one.
Please take care and keep after your bank.
Blessings and prayers.
love
darlene
I have learned that to have a good friend is the purest of all God's gifts, for it is a love that has no exchange of payment.
by Frances Farmer |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
3019 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
3019 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 12:37:56 PM
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Nini
Dave Ramsey recommends, & it is really not that expensive, & they deal with all the bull you are dealing with right now
http://www.zanderins.com/idtheft/idtheft.aspx
Peace of mind for sure |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 3:43:12 PM
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Nini: I'm sorry that happened to you! It is truly sad when you or anyone has to put up with such dishonesty. Hugs to you.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 4:16:11 PM
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Thanks so much, girls. After school, I did a little research and found that there are numerous scams reported by this company, all either starting with the same small dollar amount charged to their account or the second charge comes up in this amount. My sister also has had something similar happen, and encouraged me to speak with our bank manager, as I had planned to do already. She said she never had a problem where she had to close her checking account and open a new one, but I'm going to follow whatever advice the manager suggests. This wasn't a card associated with my bank account - it was another card that is linked to my bank account from which funds will be transferred automatically when necessary. I use this card in the event something like this situation should happen, so that my bank account won't directly be tapped, and so that we can head anything quesitonable off at the pass, so to speak, should it occur.
I'm so sorry that this has happened to some of you - it really is the pits. But I am also very grateful to you all for sharing your experiences because that will help me be even more mindful of our accounts. Thankfully, I am already in the habit of checking our accounts on a daily basis, but this situation really does drive home the necessity to do so, believe me. I really do believe we caught this early, so I am hoping that it won't be as harrowing as it could be. I am praying to God that nothing worse comes of this. What a stinky thing for someone to do. My main concern at this point is whether these people have latched onto my/our soc. sec. information and if they would wreak havoc with our credit. I really don't want the headaches. Having said that, Lisa, I'll definitely check the Dave Ramsey recommendation! Thank you so much for sharing that information!
I'll let you know what happens. I hope my experience and those that you all have posted will help someone else who may experience a similar situation in the future!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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darlenelovesart
True Blue Farmgirl
8073 Posts
darlene
Loleta
California
USA
8073 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2012 : 10:02:21 PM
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You take care Nini, there are a lot of different Scams out there. I had a boss once who got caught up in one. He sold his car to someone and the people wanted to send him a check which at that time he ok'd, they didn't know who they were dealing with though. Ok they sent him the check and He was supposed to cash it and send them the rest. Well he did this and found out it was a scam and he was responsible for the money when the check bounced. The scammer got the cash he sent them and he had a bad check he owed everything for. He was able somehow to get these people caught though and get his money back. that just doesn't happen, but because of his story I was aware of that scam when I was trying to sell something and it helped me not fall into that trap.
There are some evil people out there trying to make a person feel sorry for them and they do and the people lose lots of money because of it. If you ever feel it isn't right it probably isn't and another thing you can do is check Snopes, They have information on all kinds of scams.
Anyway take care and be careful out there.
I love you all
darlene
I have learned that to have a good friend is the purest of all God's gifts, for it is a love that has no exchange of payment.
by Frances Farmer |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2047 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2047 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2012 : 5:05:33 PM
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Yes, it pays to check your accounts.
I had my identity stolen once. The fraud investigator from the cell phone company that notified me about the phones being purchased advised me to contact the three major credit reporting agencies and report my identity had been stolen, and also advised me to look at the Federal Trade Commission's web site for more information. The FTC advised me to check for warrants out for my arrest in the state the phones were sent to, and to check utility companies. I was shocked to find out that electricity had been turned on in my name to a rental house. The utility company was quick to turn off the power and credit my acount(and put a password on my account so it couldn't be turned back on without my permission.)
For me it worked out OK and I didn't actually lose any money, but I learned a lot. Identity theft is seldom prosecuted from the victim's point of view. Only large companies (like the phone company) that lose a lot of money get any action from law enforcement. I was told that there were 10 sherriff deputies in Jacksonville Florida to process 80 new identity theft cases a day. All they had time to do was take the report, not to investigate. The FBI doesn't investigate unless over $100,000 has been lost. This was shocking to me and made me want to jump into my car and go to Florida and take justice into my own hands, but my husband talked me out of it.
Here is the link to the FTC web site.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft2012/
I no longer provide my social security number to anyone except my employer, if I can help it. My suspicion, which I cannot prove, is that somehow some medical records may have been keypunched or scanned somewhere by an insurance company or doctor or radiologist and they did not dispose of them properly. Or that somehow my old driver's license that had my social security number on it was stolen instead of being destroyed at the BMV when I had my license renewed.
Since then, I maintain Identity theft insurance and a privacy protection service through my bank. It notifies me if new credit is applied for in my name. Kind of expensive. but knowing that criminals have my information makes it worth it to me.
When I first read your note, I remembered something that happened to my husband once... Someone charged something at a catalog retailer, and they gave my husband's credit card number (or maybe it was just a keypunch error.) The small charge was put on his account as a temporary charge, but because the name didn't match the ship-to and bill-to information, the permanent charge never came through. After a period of time it was just removed from his account. I think that sometimes is probably an innocent mistake, so it's not always necessary to worry so much.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blogs at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com (farming) http://brightmeadowknits.blogspot.com (knitting) or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2012 : 06:26:49 AM
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Thank you for sharing your stories, Brenda! I really appreciate the link you've provided as well!
Just a quick update: the charge did come through for a little bit more than the amount originally processed. I have received notification from the card company that they have processed a credit to replace the funds, however it has not yet come through. I am going to call this afternoon to see why it has yet to show up on my account, as well as to notify the company of the websites I found with complaints about this company. We'll see what happens.
Hugs -
nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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buzzn bee
True Blue Farmgirl
1061 Posts
Deborah
Muncie
Indiana
USA
1061 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2012 : 09:38:11 AM
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Nini,
I share your frustrations. About 2 years ago, my credit card company called me to inquire if I was trying to make a purchase totaling almost 14,000.00. I was shocked. The first thing I did was to tell the caller, no I most certainly did not. I asked for a number to return a call before giving out any further information. Immediately when I hung up, I called the number on the back of my credit card. It was legit. As we were speaking the person who lived in Washington State, was at some sort of shoe event, trying to purchase Michael Jordan Shoes in abundance using my credit card number.My credit card company had the business owner (who also was legit) on hold telling them they were processing the order. This gave my company time to call police and direct them to the place of business where the criminal had became suspicious and left in a hurry. Good news, my credit card company flagged it immediately for verification. My card number was voided and a new card issued. Thankfully the only damage done was to my nervous system.
My hubby and I read and look over every single word and charge on our accounts. Glad everything worked out for you. I now purchase prepaid cards for any purchase I might want to make on line. I no longer have to give my name because it is prepaid. I get a card with a small amount of money on it. This way, should the wrong person try to hack it, they do not have access to any of my financial information. I do not use on line banking or anything that might spark someones interest in my accounts.
I still get rattled when I think about it.
Hugs to you friend. Now take a deep breath and relax.
Debbie H
Buzzn Bee |
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darlenelovesart
True Blue Farmgirl
8073 Posts
darlene
Loleta
California
USA
8073 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2012 : 9:23:33 PM
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Well that is a good idea, I hadn't thought of pre paid credit cards to buy stuff on line. Thanks alot.
darlene
I have learned that to have a good friend is the purest of all God's gifts, for it is a love that has no exchange of payment.
by Frances Farmer |
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Dirtduchess
True Blue Farmgirl
693 Posts
Patsy
Decatur
TX
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - Dec 09 2012 : 9:17:07 PM
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Our bank account has been hacked into three times. One lady charged over $800.00 on my husband's debit card. I tracked her down from Arizona to Pennsylvia through the phone numbers on the charges. One small business knew the lady and gave me her name. Our bank WellsFargo always credited our account the day I called. But i would have to go through the hassle of calling the firms that took payments automatically. We had to go to the sheriff's office to file on the $800.00 charges. The strangest thing I have ever heard was someone got the credit card number and name of a friend of mine. In less than a week she received about 20 packages through UPS of merchandise that she did not order. She had a time with the credit card company. She canceled her card, sent all the stuff back and eventually got her account straight. And we thought highway outlaws were a thing if the past.
Patsy
Farmgirl 4678 |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2012 : 08:02:23 AM
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It really is aggravating and a bit scarey, isn't it? Thankfully, everything was quickly resolved with the card company, and my branch manager did not feel that we needed to close our account. She explained the process they have in place to monitor and protect accounts when things like this happen, and I am confident that we are covered at this point. I just really can't get over that this has happened. I'm starting to think we're just going to go back to cash purchases and payments only. It's a bit of a hassle, and we'll miss out on some good online deals by so doing, but truthfully, I'm not comfortable with ANYONE having our information at this point. I do like your idea, Debbie of prepaid cards, though. Maybe we'll look into that. And I also know that we have an online bill payment option through our bank. The reason I used this particular debit credit card, though, was to get the cash back at the end of each month - those payments and purchases add up, believe me! Guess the loss of money back in the pocket is a small price to pay for peace of mind, though. This has left me feeling a bit unsettled, that's all. When my hubby has time we'll just have to talk it through and figure out what will be best, that's all. He keeps me on an even keel when upsetting things like this happen. I don't want to overreact, you know?
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Across the Fence: SO Upset - Account Hacked, Unknown Charges... UGH! |
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SO Upset - Account Hacked, Unknown Charges... UGH!
