Halo

I just found out last month that someone had stolen my SS# & was using it for Federal tax purposes. Had to go to the IRS office & file so they could put a red flag on my #. Also had to file with the local sheriffs office, & report it to the SS office & the Federal Trade commission. Then went to our Bank & told them about it & they put a block on our account. So now when we leave this area, we have to go in personally to let them know where we will be & will be using our card. We can not just call & tell them. We have to go in person & let them know where our card may be used. If they do get a charge they are concerned about, they will give us a call & if we don't answer, they will shut down our account & we will have to go it to get it started back up. The way I found out about my SS# is that I got a letter from the IRS saying that I had claimed someone on my 2013 tax return that had already been claimed by a spouce. I knew something was up big time as My DH & I always claim jointly & we had not even filed in 2013 as he was injured on the job in 2012 & has not worked so we had no taxable income. All this kind of stuff really ticks me off. We have laws about people doing these things, but they don't up hold them. They say the jails are to crowded. Well, I say pack them in like sardiens if need be. The reason it is getting so bad is everyone knows they can do it & get away with it with just a slap on the hand. If they had to suffer big time for their crime, they may think twice before doing it again. Sorry for rattling on so.

mermaid

" We have laws about people doing these things, but they don't up hold them. They say the jails are to crowded."
I believe most of the scams are originating outside the U.S. and our officials cannot track them down, nor do anything to the perps if found. We cannot prosecute in another country and those gov'ts won't cooperate with us. That is what is so frustrating about the ID thefts. Additionally, when your info is stolen, the users will usually wait up to 6 months before attempting to use it--this way you have no recall of when or how it was stolen. Banks and credit card companies are taking big hits and I'm sure noone wants the theives prosecuted any more than them. I've been fortunate that my debit card has only been hacked once, but it was being used in France. My company knew I couldn't afford to go to France! So they shut it down. I'm sooooo grateful!

quiltbuddy

Cook's Illustrated is another company I don't trust. I signed up on line to access their recipes and discovered most of the ones I want you have to upgrade for more money. I let my subscription expire and they automatically signed me up for a new subscription with out my knowledge. It seems like everyone big and small is out to fill their pockets with your money these days.

jbj137

***
*** I have 2 Chase cards and
*** 2 months ago I had a charge from an Insurance Company for $10 (never heard for them).
*** Chase reversed the charge & sent me a new card.
***

Stitchnripper

I have been pleased with the way our credit cards handle fraud or even suspected fraud. We were out of state last month and Discover called me to ask if I made some charges in that state, because it wasn't my pattern of buying. I wasn't worried that I was being scammed. They did not ask me for any personal information except did I buy these two items for these amounts. Then they emailed me some information on fraud prevention. It is my understanding that credit card companies give good protection against fraud vs. a debit card.

madamekelly

Mine too. My credit union called me to ask me to come in, where they explained that since I had been to Target in the last year even though I was not a victim, they were closing my accounts and opening a new one for me. They even notified the company that does auto-deduction to contact me for future payments! Great customer service!

ILoveToQuilt

The worst (and most embarrassing) problem we ever had with a credit card was when we filled up with gas at an out of the way station, at night, in the Pocono Mts. of PA. We then continued driving to the hotel where we had reservations for a 10 day stay. We tried to register at the hotel and lo and behold our card had been shut off! DH called the CC company only to be told that because we lived so far away from the gas station (Massachusetts at that time), and because it was after 8pm, they felt the card must have been stolen! Needless to say, DH was not a happy camper...the embarrassing part? We had just been married and we were on day one of our honeymoon!!! (Yes, we stayed at one of those kitchy hotels with the heart shaped whirlpool tubs. LOL). CC company did make the card valid again and we went onto have a great honeymoon. In fact, we just celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary last week. Life is good!

We do some traveling and have had the CC call to verify charges from other states/countries. Once a company "knows" your patterns, they will usually flag unusual charges (at least mine does this). Have had new cards issued after the Burlington Coat and Home Depot problems.

Anniedeb

We just spent part of today at our credit union "tightening" up our accounts, and reviewing things. We had automatic overdraft transfer from savings to checking and didn't have a limit set on transfers. Now we do, and set parameters for when they need to call us. They also reacted immediately with the Target breach...they are able to issue new cards "in House"...no waiting for them in the mail. Credit card through them also, and they have promptly handled any issues.....just can't be too careful in today's world!!