Identity theft -- never thought it could
Posted By: happen to me! on 2008-06-26
In Reply to:
Yesterday, I got a call from QVC. I had ordered a GPS system for my hubby and QVC called to say they were unable to complete processing of my order because my credit card wouldn't get through. QVC said the address I gave them as the billing address did not match the billing address of my credit card. I asked the rep to hold on while I pulled my credit card account up on line. When I did, I saw that my address and phone number had been changed to somewhere in TX (I live in PA). I told QVC I would have to call them back. I immediately called the credit card company. They pulled up my account and said that yes my address had been changed just a few days ago. When I asked how, they couldn't tell me. They did not know if it was done on-line or by telephone. This, I don't understand. If someone called in to change it, shouldn't that be documented? Furthermore, if it was changed on-line, wouldn't there be a computer trail?
At any rate, it was changed, and my cc company tried to contact me to verify it by calling the new phone number given. (Makes no sense). Having received no answer, they sent a letter to me, which I have yet to get. One day after changing my address, someone made a $10 on-line purchase with cc account, which went through. Immediately following that, a $4500 on-line purchase was attempted to be put through. This one the cc company did not allow (thank God for small miracles).
After having all of this explained to me, I was then transferred to an Identity Theft Specialist, who would help me close this account and reopen another one as well as put into action security alerts for me. For the next 7 years, my credit report will be flagged as a "fraud alert", meaning that if anyone tries to open a new account in my name, the lender will have go through extensive verification to confirm it's me. I'm told this will not affect my credit score.
I also had to file a report with my local police, which I doubt will accomplish anything. Local police are not trained in the same manner as state police, and I don't see how they have any jurisdiction over this since the offender is out of state. We will see.
I did, however, write down the address and the phone number that my account was changed to. My husband called the number last night from his cell phone and no one answered. He left a message stating he was looking for "my name" and to please return his call to "his number". They immediately called back, but when my husband answered, they said nothing. They called back again later that night and did the same thing.
Here's the real kicker, when I called QVC back to give them a different credit card (which I immediately verified all of my credit cards after this incident), the lady asked if I knew what happened. I told her that apparently I was a victim of identity theft. She said that's what she sort of figured had happened especially with the credit card company I had. I said what do you mean and she proceeds to tell me that there have been a lot of "account takeovers" with this particular company and that it was determined to be an "inside job". This left me feeling less than secure about setting up a new account with that company. It also makes me wonder if that's why they weren't able to trace the original address change. My husband says as soon as the new account is set up, we're going to cash in our reward points and pay off the balance and close the account.
Fortunately, this cc company has 0% identity theft liability, so we will not be responsible for the charges that did go through. However, the bigger concern here is that this person obviously has enough personal information about me to set up new accounts without my knowledge; hence, the reason for the fraud alerts on my credit report.
I am so furious, if I ever get my hands on this person, I'll likely wring his neck! My husband and I have worked hard all our lives to have good credit and some skuzbucket thinks he can just come along and take it. I don't think so. I intend to pursue this fully. If it is an "inside job", I will make sure that this credit card company does something about its current employee background checks.
So, take a minute today and call your credit companies or go on-line and check to make sure that noone has changed your address and phone number.
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Identity theft
So, somebody has your social security number. Just wait until the IRS comes after you for not reporting the income from your second job, picking grapefruit in Florida. Happened to a guy here. Has cost bundles in legal fees to straighten it out. Reader's Digest had a story once on a man who couldn't retire because SS showed he was still working in another state. It's not necessarily illegal aliens either. People who can't pass criminal background checks use stolen identity to get legitimate jobs, or they get arrested and give your ID and you can't pass a background check. Identity theft is a real mess. I don't think the penalties are harsh enough. Shakespear said it. He who steals my purse steals trash; but he who steals my good name takes that which little enriches him but makes me poor indeed.
Have you ever been the victim of identity theft?
If this will help prevent identity theft, then I think it may have some good points.
I don't like the idea of electronic tracking. I read the part of the bill dealing with the Real ID and it said the "machine-readable element" is "to be determined". That is a little ominous. I think visual inspection should be enough. I really don't think electronic tracking is justified.
i understand about identity theft, but
friends of friends cannot see your info/pics/posts UNLESS you set you security settings that way. It can be as private or as public as you want it to be. i am very cautious but i think FB is great!
This will make identity theft easier. Our DMV had the
computers stolen, and so whoever did it had access to personal information. Now they will have all the personal information they need without having to dig for it. Homeland Security and other government agencies have had computers stolen.
As far as electronic tracking, not long ago there was a push to have micro chips implanted in all school kids.
Mistaken identity?
Maybe some other couple was causing trouble or shoplifting and he confused you with them.
I agree...something as serious as an identity change is different (sm)
I can totally understand someone who has had a gender change wanting to be called something different. And maybe the name OP's friend was given is just offensive to him...nonetheless people who have called you one name all your life will have a hard time always reminding themselves of what you want to be called now, especially when they have other things to think about beside stepping on someone's apparently fragile toes.
ID Theft
My neighbor had this done by someone that he worked with in the personnel department. They were stealing SS numbers off of worker files. Nice huh? You can't trust anybody anymore
theft?
Theft is being charged $13 for a plate of spaghetti. I know, we have the choice of staying home, etc, etc. I cook for them all the time and yes, they eat everything not nailed down!
It is a form of theft
There is something wrong with these people who feel they have to clear the table of sugar and/or sweetener and especially the ones who decide to complain to the manager at the end of a meal that they had no trouble eating just to get the meal for free or at least discounted. My niece waited tables in a fairly nice steak house chain and she said it happened more times than you could imagine.
And then they gloat about it later! They should be ashamed.
I just wanted to tell you if you never got the Love and Theft CD you simply sm
must. I literally played this for months on end and could not listen to anything else. It is wonderful. One song he states he was in a hotel that was so crappy he called room service and ordered a room! Typical Dylan. Give a listen if you have never heard it. 
Cancel the ID theft protection on your credit cards.
If you didn’t pay for it, you’re not liable for it.
I hope you got her arrested for credit-card theft
*
wish I'd thought of that...
EXCELLENT POST! By far the most intelligent one of the whole thread... to you and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Just a thought sm
www.tasteofhome.com has recipes for the category "cooking for a crowd". There are some wonderful recipes there. They are tested by these wonderful cooks before printed in their magazine. Their site is pretty user friendly, colorful, and fun. I love to cook (as well as type) lol!
That is what I thought
also but some people throw things out, like I just saw this on a television show as the truth and I am saying, hold on.... This is something I have heard for years and I mean years, much longer than most efflux of drug users around now days. Thanks for the information.
Just a thought..............sm
A vet of ours down in Florida suggested this to anyone having this problem. She said to wipe the dog OR cat down with a damp cloth.....now there are wipes in the pet section for this. She said the dander on their hair is causing the reaction and if this is done daily, it will keep them from shedding dander that is causing the allergy. There was a spray you could buy in the pet section to damper their coat and then wipe it down, but the wipes have the lanolin stuff on them now. I buy those and wipe down our cat of 18 years, who my daughter said was NOT causing her stuffy nose......he slept on her bed every night. I didn't find the wipes until a few years ago, but she had moved away to college by then....all stuffiness disappeared.
I thought about that too, but
family court records are sealed and it is in another city with the plantiff listed as the State. Hey, if they want to come get me, it would be another interesting war story and another reason to ask for back child support from the dud to help me get out of jail. huh! Gotta find something to laugh about :)
another thought
Babies for adoption instead.. great but remember there are millions of children in the world who need a family Maybe not a baby but a child nonetheless.
Could you look one of these children in the eye and tell them you don't want them, you want a baby?
Here's a thought for you ....sm
make a donation to a charity in their honor. Most charities will not reveal the amount you donated but will send them a card stating a donation was made. You can give what you're comfortable with... $5, $10, whatever.
When we got married last summer we elected to not receive gifts as we were giving away and selling items that were surplus from merging our 2 separate homes. We did advise that family and friends who desired to do something for us could make a donation to a local children's home and many of them did. We talked to the children's home ahead of time so they'd know what we were doing and they were very appreciative of the generosity that people extended. They sent us a list of who contributed money so we would know who to send thank you cards to (they did this also) but never divulged the amounts given which we didn't want to know anyway. This allowed people who desired to give something to do this and we weren't stuck with extra stuff we didn't need around the house.
LOL - another thought.
All my animal children understand "HEY" and "uh oh" and my favorite "Ok now you're in trouble."
Of course they don't understand English, but they sure remember TONE.
My cats destroyed my leather sofa, too - and yes those late night attacks are hard to prevent. Suggestion: If you can afford it, get an inexsensive couch cover that you can cover the couch with whenever... if anything gets destroyed it will be the cheap cover
Oh, thought you mean like I have done now
with my maiden name and the married ones that is a total of 5 now. Last one, I promise.
lol thought for a sec you were my ex! That's
c
I thought...
It was overall good, made me tear up some when Victor spoke. Didn't really expect any excitement, think it's too early for Nick to return. I feel for Phyllis (I know... )...but I can't help it...can't wait til next week.....
Another thought!
Back in high school girls like here were likely to get a "swirly." There was one friend (right) who decided that my boyfriend (now my husband for a very long time) was just what she needed - he was older, had a new car, money, took me on nice dates. She did the same stuff and he "fell for it" and we argued and broke up for a couple of days or so over her. She made a bad mistake and taunted me with it at school. She didn't realize that his brother (she didn't know him) and his other brother's girlfriend were listening. They ratted her out. She got mad and tried to intimidate me. She even slapped me! That did it, faster than I could think, I grabbed her hair, dragged her into the girl's bathroom, stuck her head in and FLUSHED. She never bothered anyone else with her boyfriend stealing ways for the rest of high school, although I don't know if that continued on. So, if you have to, go ahead and FLUSH! My grown up daughter is sitting here laughing because she can't believe I would do such a thing. I have become more human to her! I have fond memories of the look on that girl's overly made up Barbie-face with melting mascara and her overly sprayed hairdo clumped up on her head!!
I thought that too but.....
I also thought with this house the city would be more forgiving of Dh farm stuff parked around then they would in the nicer neighborhoods.
Another question is, in my neighborhood there have been some nice new brick homes pop up during the 8 years we have lived here. Directly behind us someone is building a huge Victorian. It is going to be beautiful. Would that make our property value go up as well?
That is exactly what I thought of. Sorry.
a
Just a thought
Adorable boy he is!
Before you invest in the rug, if it is not necessary, you might consider puppy shoes or boots. They do make some with rubber bottoms if you are creative you might try making some out of the rubber matting, spongey stuff they line cabinet and drawers with, almost like the rubber matting to keep rubs from sliding. Or you could even get a pair of booties with the anti-skid stuff like they issue at hospitals and make them. The attached URL has fleece in this but you can get them without.
My friend...mommy of my grandpuppies...had this same issue with thier dogs. She put little booties on hers and it worked for them.
I thought so too, but
last time I posted the site it must have looked like an ad or something, because it was removed. But it's not my site and I'm not advertising for them; I just think it's really cool that they have a thing where you click boxes with the conditions of your site and it will suggest groundcovers that might work! And then just all the pictures can give you great ideas. My MIL is near the beach, so her soil is sandy and it's very expensive to try to keep grass going. Ones like thyme and some others use almost no water and abolutely no chemicals. Cheap to keep!
Another thought on IBS sm
Do you take a lot of ibuprofen? My IBS was pinpointed to ibuprofen intake for arthritis. Took about 7 years and 2 colonoscopies to figure that out. I have other medical issues as well, so they didn't really look into ibuprofen at first. Finally, after I had changed jobs, going from inhouse to home transcription due to the stress inhouse, I kept a log of everything I took in for 3 weeks, including meds. I found I had the severe diarrhea bouts (up to 10+ times per day) on the days I took the ibuprofen. My doctor switched me to Relafen for inflammation and darvocet for pain and I probably only have 4 bouts of IBS a year now.
Just a thought...
but if you have been fortunate enough to strike up a more personal relationship with another poster, why not take it to e-mail or phone calls, which would be infinitely more personal and, I would think, much less of a hassle, for both of you. I think it's great that you've found a lot in common, like your animals, but why set yourselves up for harrassment if you don't have to?
I thought I was the only one......!
This happened to me a few years ago, I would just nod out while driving. Fortunately a slight bump in the road or going up a curb :( would wake me. I had to stop driving for a while of course. It turned out it was a side effect from Prozac I was tried on for situational anxiety/depression. Hope your daughter's friend gets to the bottom of it. It's a very scary feeling.
I always thought...
It wasn't proper to take gifts to the wedding, think I read this in Ms. Manners or something like that. It's a wedding, not a shower or a party, so no gifts...I think anyway! I'm in the same boat though, having missed the shower and invited to the wedding too. Also have another wedding a week later, then yet another at the end of September...which I am sure all will have some sort of shower. 
Just a thought
If you have not found a solution, please consider going to the link below, pet peoples place and go to the community tab at top or the dog forum. It may open to the forum, if so to the left under Browe Forums click start a new discussion.
I'm not sure what state you are in, but there are some great folks on there that will let you know what the laws are in your area and will let you know pretty quick. Usually you can call anonimously but in some states you can get in trouble for actually going and stepping in. As an animal lover I commend you, some people just don't care.
that's a thought but
i don't want to be worrying about head lice. that would be a horrible mess.
I thought about doing it that way too (sm)
Do you keep a chore chart to keep track of payments?
i always thought
that i felt that way because of my catholic upbringing. i always feel that way. guess i'm not alone. right there with you.
Thanks - I thought so too and
how true it is! Life is soooo short in the scheme of things.
Yes but never thought that way, did she have
any symptoms such as mine- the intense rib cage pain? Have never considered it being gallbladder, what are symptoms- oh I have heard some, problems after fatty foods which I do not eat and forgotten other symptoms.
That was my first thought but
afraid I would get bar-b-qued for it. LOL
You know, I thought about that
I was wondering if I could rig something up so that he was suspended from a sling and put wheels on it so that he would just have to move his legs a little bit to move around.
So far things are okay. We got one of those doggie "playpens" that is made of wire and open on the top and put his bed in it. It's roughly about 4' square, roomy for a small dog but he can't move around too much. It was hard tonight hearing him whimper because he could smell what my husband was cooking for dinner and he wanted to be in there where the good smells were.
But I'm trying to remind myself - if we keep him quiet and his ligaments and tendons have a chance to heal a bit, he will be able to move around better. Sometimes it's a choice - healthy or happy? And I need to choose "healthy" for him right now.
That is exactly what I thought also!
Lets see, Dan ??? How soon we forget.
What a sad thought. nm
!
that is a thought
that's a thought. . though daughter had not liked that idea earlier - she just seems content with me having the ashes in my house! I suppose I just need to force her to make some kind of decision. . of course, it is a touchy subject, especially around the holidays... Actually, the ashes in the house do not bother me at all but it makes my fiance uneasy. . .
Oh okay. Thanks-thought
I had heard it was vitamin D. So, zinc will help your hair grow? Nails are no problem for me. They grow fine, just not the hair! It is probably about 2-3 inches below shoulders and won't go any farther
Here's a thought.
Do you think that in school, your daughter may be asking for help a lot? Sometimes if children are nervous or are having a bit of difficulty adjusting to a new situation, they may be a bit more needy in that situation than they are at home. Maybe she's asking the teacher for help when papers have to be put in a folder, or at other times throughout the day. The teacher may be reading that as if she is a child who is not used to doing things for herself, but it could just be her way of adjusting to a new situation and trying to connect with her teacher.
Rather than going in ready to argue, just call the teacher and ask to have a conversation with her to find out how your daughter is doing in school generally.
I can tell you lots of stories about good and bad teachers I've had to deal with over the years. I have to be honest, however. Most of the times when I my first reaction was anger and defensiveness, there was something that I didn't know AND something that the teacher had assumed. It's best to sort that out before getting too ruffled.
On second thought, maybe I see why your
You are argumentive. I do not treat my cousins the same way I treat my son.
Thought I was going to have to but
they caved during the meeting and wrote up a new one. Mine was on an M-team. If you've got an S-team it could be harder, but mostly it would depend on what you're actually challenging on it.
I thought I had the one and only and SM
later found out that he was constantly looking and cheating. I finally got to the point where instead of crying and pleading with him and trying to out-do the other gals I simply told him I had neither the time nor the desire to police him anymore and that he was not worth it.
I hope in your case things work out. I feel for you.
Let me know what you thought
I didn't really like the episode although "Christian" is always great for me to look at. LOL. Next week looks really good.
My first thought! :))))
xx
She might have thought (sm)
people wouldn't understand the difference, which is possible. It happens all the time to Muslims. One person does something bad, then next thing you know the entire religion is bad. I think it's a good reminder. 
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