Well...it finally happened...I have fallen victim to credit card fraud. I suppose in today's day and age, it is only a matter of time before someone that uses their credit card falls victim to having that credit card number stolen and used fraudulently (what a horrible state of affairs that it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that at some point during the life of your credit card usage it will be used fraudulently - although I don't know if this is really true or not, it seems more and more true).
This past Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from a very nice woman from my bank who was asking if I had recently made a $6,000 charge to Lowes using my American Express card. Of course, I hadn't, but my first thought at this point was maybe this is one of those scam phone calls where she then asks me to verify all my information (including card #, etc.) so that she can actually steal it during the phone call. While I was talking to her on the phone, I logged onto my bank's website and lo and behold, saw a $6,000 charge listed there as pending from Lowes. I still made a mental note to call my bank back after the phone call was over (as well as to not provide her with my account #, etc.) but now I figured this phone call was for real and I'd been the victim of fraud.
It turns out, from what I was able to gather, that someone had used my credit card number (I was still in possession of the physical card) to order $6,000 worth of merchanidise from Lowes online and Lowes had been suspicious enough (or the name didn't match the credit card, or some other reason) to contact my bank which then contacted me. They even had a name and address for the order (which I stupidly didn't write down - all I remember was it was a Philadelphia address). Once I informed my bank that the purchase wasn't mine and was fraudulent, they informed Lowes and I'm assuming Lowes cancelled the order and the merchandise never shipped. The bank then cancelled the current card I had and re-issued me a new one (they were able to FedEx it to me in 2 days thanks to the nice woman who called me - they even sent it to me at work since I knew I wouldn't be home at the time it came and I didn't want it sitting outside where someone could easily steal it!).
The following day, I logged on to my bank's website and found that the $6,000 Lowes charge was gone, but there was another charge that was showing up as having occurred on 5/25 and posted on 5/27 from Sprint Nextel (it was weird that it hadn't shown up before, but because it occurred on 5/25 it had definitely been made using the old account number and not the newly re-issued accont number). Now, the weird thing is that I'm a customer of Sprint Nextel, but definitely didn't authorize a $400 charge to them from my credit card. I contacted Sprint Nextel's fraud department and found out that someone had once again used my credit card fraudulently. Although this time, they were even stupider since they had used my credit card to pay their phone bill at Sprint Nextel and Sprint had all their information (their name, account #, phone #, billing address, etc.). Sprint wouldn't release most of this information to me, but did tell me the woman's name that was on the account as well as the fact that her address was also in Philadelphia.
I immediately contacted my bank once more and had them add this Sprint charge to the list of fraudulent charges I wouldn't be responsible for. They said they were going to send me some sort of affidavit I had to fill out and sign stating that these charges were not made or authorized by me...of course, I was fine with doing this. Around now I also contacted the credit reporting agencies to add a fraud alert to my credit reports, and found out that without a police report I could only add one for 90 days (but with a police report, I could add one for 7 years).
Throughout all of this, my two main concerns have really been how my credit card info was illegally obtained (so I could know what mistake not to make in the future or what merchant to never again deal with) and possibly what other confidential data was out there floating around (did they have additional credit cards of mine that I'd have to cancel?). Obviously, I wanted the perpetrators caught as well, since they had committed a crime and had greatly inconvenienced me, but I wanted them caught even more so they could spill the beans about where they got my credit card number and what other information of mine they had (if any).
In order to further this, I found out that the first step was to file a police report. I contacted my local police department, and unfortunately, they came up far short. They basically told me they could take a police report, but would do nothing with it since the crimes occurred outside their jurisdiction (they apparently wouldn't even help me interface with the local police department where the crimes did occur and basically told me that because Philadelphia was such a big city full of more serious crime, nothing would ever get done regarding this small crime). Of course, I filed the police report anyway to protect myself (and to be able to use with the credit reporting agencies and the bank).
I also attempted to reach out to Philadelphia (where my leg work had uncovered that the criminals were likely located) but their police department basically told me they wouldn't do anything and all I could do was file a police report with my local department. At this point, I became pretty frustrated. The criminals information was pretty much only a phone call away (Sprint had their name, address, phone #, etc.), but it seemed like no law enforcement agency was willing to help me out with resolving this crime.
I decided the best bet would be to reach out once more to my bank, to Sprint, and to Lowes to see if they could help me track down the criminals and maybe push the police to get involved. I'm still waiting for a callback from the appropriate individuals at both the bank and Sprint, but I've been talking with an investigator from Lowes for the past day or two and he seems very willing to help me out - which is great. He is doing some investigation and is going to get back to me on Mondy (hopefully I'll hear from my bank and Sprint at that time too), so I'll provide some updates here as they occur.
Hopefully, the end result of all this will be that the criminals are caught, and that I find out how my data was breached and whether any more of my confidential data (other credit cards, bank account #'s, etc.) is out there or not.
(Update 6/4/08) Totally contrary to what I was initially told, I was contacted by a Detective from my local police department today who seemed very interested in helping me out with this crime. He clarified a lot of the information I had already given in the police report, and asked for some new information. He was going to be drafting a subpoena to get Sprint to release the information about the person who used my credit card to pay their cell phone account - so this could be a very promising turn of events in catching "the bad guys"
I recently needed to purchase a new laptop at my company. We wanted to get a comparable model to an existing one that we already owned, but the existing one was about a year and a half old so we wanted whatever the upgraded current version of the existing one would be. You'd think this would be an easy question, but it seems that for Sony, it isn't.
First, I emailed Sony's Pre-Sales support and received an auto-reply stating that I would receive a response within 2 business days. Of course, I never did, and despite sending several follow-up emails never received any response back.
Then I attempted to call Sony's customer service, but they couldn't help me either, and kept routing me around to different departments.
I even tried to call Sony Style's flagship store in New York and a manager promised me he'd get the information and get back to me. Guess what? I never received any follow up from him and when I tried to call the following day to reach out to him, I was put on hold for 10 minutes, disconnected, and then when I called back I got voicemail.
I finally had enough, and decided to just call the corporate office and let them handle it. Unfortunately, reaching out to Sony's corporate office proved to be just as difficult as getting my simple pre-sales question answered. I spent at least an hour being routed between different corporate offices (since it seems that Sony is such a complex company that finding the "right" corporate office is difficult) and when I thought I'd finally reached the correct office, was told that there was no one who was able to speak to me unless I had a specific name. I had to put the woman on hold and go Google an executive's name to actually reach anyone! And even then, the exective's assistant was no help and when she did call me back finally, only was able to offer me Sony's regular customer service line!!
At this point, I am still no closer to getting my simple pre-sales question answered, and have wasted quite a few hours now with Sony. Am I missing something here? Does Sony NOT want to sell me anything? Did I somehow do something wrong to Sony and this is my punishment? I'd think that someone at Sony would be interested in getting me the correct information so I could purchase a product from their company and provide them with money, but apparently I'm foolish to think so!
Comedy writer Pedro Bartes: "During a speech in South Dakota, former President Bill Clinton delivered a harsh critique of how his wife has been treated during her presidential bid, telling the crowd that he has 'never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully.' His comments are valid because if there's anyone who knows about mistreating Hillary, it's Bill."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "The Jerusalem Post says that President Bush has a plan to attack Iran before he leaves the White House. The news came with shock and disbelief. No one can believe President Bush would actually take military action with a plan."
Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show": "Earlier this week, Vice President Dick Cheney gave the commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy. He was given a 19-gun salute. Two Coast Guard members were slightly injured when Cheney returned fire."
Comedy writer Alan Ray: "'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' is tops at the box office. Critics say it has a typical Hollywood ending - producers make off with millions from an over-hyped sequel."
Barach on Cindy McCain releasing her income tax return from 2006, which showed she made $6 million for the year: "Fortunately, she was able to save a lot in taxes with that deduction she can take for having an elderly dependent."
Leno on the difference between "American Idol" and the Democratic primary: "They count the votes from Florida and Michigan."
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live," on John Edwards endorsing Barack Obama: "It's believed that Edwards' endorsement of Senator Obama will help Obama nail down the critical handsome millionaire vote."
Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show": "The oldest serving member of Congress, former Klan member Senator Robert Byrd, has endorsed Barack Obama for president. That's got to make Hillary feel good. Even the Klan guy is going, 'I'm gonna go with the black guy.'"
Conan O'Brien, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien": "In a speech this past weekend, Hillary Clinton said John McCain couldn't be more out of touch. Then she said, 'If you'll excuse me, I'm about to win the Democratic nomination.'"
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "President Bush's approval rating has dropped to an all-time low; 82 percent of Americans feel the country is headed in the wrong direction. Not only is it headed in the wrong direction, but with gas at $4 a gallon it costs twice as much to get there."
Comedy writer Alan Ray: "Winemaking guru Robert Mondavi is dead at 94. Funeral home arrangements have been announced. His coffin will be kept at room temperature."
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: "California ruled that gay marriage is legal. In San Francisco, men donned wild dresses, popped Champagne corks, and kissed strangers. When asked how long the gay ruling celebration would last, they replied, 'What gay ruling celebration?'"
Comedy writer Janice Hough: "Despite her recent win in West Virginia, Hillary Clinton has almost no mathematical chance for the nomination, and almost no time left to catch up. Yet she still insists she will win. I guess she really did grow up a Cubs fan."
David Letterman, "Late Show with David Letterman": "Hillary Clinton just won't quit. Can you believe that, ladies and gentlemen? You have to admire somebody who, against all odds, just won't quit ... and they're running out of money. ... Today she was wearing a certified pre-owned pantsuit."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "Hillary Clinton says she will break up OPEC if she is elected. To prove it she is showing everyone how easily she can break up the Democratic Party."
Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show": "Political experts are saying the only thing that can stop Barack Obama now is a major sex scandal. And that's not gonna happen, because Barbara Walters said, 'He's way too young for me.'"
Comedy writer Patrick Gorse: "Barack Obama had a big slip of the tongue on Friday when he told a crowd in Oregon that he had visited '57 states.' John McCain was quick to criticize Obama, saying the number is really 13 and they're called 'colonies.' "
Michael Feldman, public radio's "Whad'Ya Know?": "Hillary is suing Barack for custody of the two children, Florida and Michigan."
Craig Ferguson, "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson": "John McCain admitted today that he didn't vote for George Bush. He did vote for George Washington, however."
Michael Feldman, public radio's "Whad'Ya Know?": "Hillary wants a Lincoln-Douglas debate; already has the fake beard."
Comedy writer Matt Passet: "People across the country are starting to get their tax rebate checks. The government says it's going to help the economy. And what better way to stimulate the American economy than everyone buying a new Sony PlayStation?"
Comedy writer Alan Ray: "Jenna Bush gets married on Saturday. It'll be a very small wedding. The president has only invited his supporters."
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: "17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears had a baby shower. There was an awkward moment when Roger Clemens showed up and gave her his phone number."
Comedy writer Jake Novak: "The makers of synthetic turf fields say their product poses no health risk - unless you're a member of the New York Jets."
Comedian Janice Hough: "The Yankees yesterday placed Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list. It's actually the first time since 2000 that the third baseman has been inactive. Well, other than the playoffs."
So as many of you know, I work for a company that is rolling out a new product called Slim Shots.
Last Tuesday, May 6th, we had our official Launch Event/Party for this new product in NYC at 1 Oak in NYC. Our product spokesperson was there: Maureen McCormick (or as many of you know her as: Marcia Brady).
We had a professional photographer taking photos, and I wound up in some of them. Click the photo below to see the photos that I'm in:
Conan O'Brien, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien": "Hillary Clinton says she's willing to debate Barack Obama. This is what she said, 'Anytime, anywhere,' and she would even meet him 'in the back of a truck.' Which is surprising, because the 'anytime, anywhere, even in back of a truck' offer is usually made by Bill Clinton."
David Letterman, "Late Show with David Letterman": "Now that Hillary has the big comeback win in Pennsylvania, she's getting a little cocky. She's now saying that if she gets that 3 a.m. phone call she's gonna let it go to voice mail."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "Prince William's image may be hurt by his recent antics with a military helicopter. A rich young man born into privilege who is destined for the throne because of his bloodlines, who is not taking his stint in the military seriously? Thank goodness that could never happen here in America."
Comedy writer Jake Novak: "The first stimulus checks are being deposited in the accounts of taxpayers who were smart enough to sign up for direct deposit with the IRS. But the really smart tax payers are just having their checks deposited directly to their local gas station."
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: "Roger Clemens is denying he has had a 10-year-affair with country star Mindy McCready that started when she was 15 and he was 28. When asked if the relationship was platonic, Clemens said, 'No, it happened here on Earth.' "
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