I was the victim of Identity Theft (1 Viewer)

[thewyrm]

I learned some valuable lessons today. Never, ever assume an e-mail is legit because it passes through your draconian spam filter. I should have known because it came from a fake paypal, and due to a payment issue my account with them has been locked for years, but boy was this convincing. Now some yay-hoos in Europe were able to make several transactions before Wells Fargo realized my mistake (God I love my bank) and issued a cease and desist on my card. The problem is that they got my checking account info and my soc too. I may have to cancell my whole checking account and create a new one.

Compunding the problem is that I am currently in Nowheresville, Alaska which makes it difficult to get this stuff squared away. Especially when I work nights. Anyway, everyone be carefull! I never thought I would be so gullible but obviously I can.

I'm sure that fraud alert I just issued to the credit agencies is going to do wonders for my credit. Awesome.

 

[Mamba]

Sorry to hear that. Just a couple days ago I got an e-mail from Ebay (legit) telling me my account was suspended because it had been linked to another suspended user name. Usually when I get e-mails like this, I automatically assume it's a fake e-mail. I know that websites like Paypal and Ebay will never ask you to sign in through a link in an e-mail, so I never do that. However, just to cover my bases, I typed in www.ebay.com into my browser and signed in, and sure enough, my account was suspended due to "failure to pay seller's fees." First of all, I've never set up a seller's account. Secondly, I haven't logged into Ebay in months. And third, even when I have logged into Ebay, I've only done so at home. I have absolutely no idea how this person could have gained access to my account short of blindly guessing my password. Fortunately, I didn't lose any money over it.

 

[Dragon]

Sorry to hear that. Just a couple days ago I got an e-mail from Ebay (legit) telling me my account was suspended because it had been linked to another suspended user name. Usually when I get e-mails like this, I automatically assume it's a fake e-mail. I know that websites like Paypal and Ebay will never ask you to sign in through a link in an e-mail, so I never do that. However, just to cover my bases, I typed in www.ebay.com into my browser and signed in, and sure enough, my account was suspended due to "failure to pay seller's fees." First of all, I've never set up a seller's account. Secondly, I haven't logged into Ebay in months. And third, even when I have logged into Ebay, I've only done so at home. I have absolutely no idea how this person could have gained access to my account short of blindly guessing my password. Fortunately, I didn't lose any money over it.

If you know you've only logged into your ebay account from home you need to check your home computers for spyware ASAP. If you have a wireless home network you may have to look into the security of that one too. Also if you have any other account information on your home computer, make sure to examine all transactions on those as well. Finally change all your passwords even if the accounts doesn't show any signs of abuse.

There are crooks out there who gather and sell account information in bundles, so sometime the passwords can be collected months before actually being used by a criminal. They might even sell different kind of information to different people so they will sell your ebay information to one crook and your banking information to another

 

[Mamba]

If you know you've only logged into your ebay account from home you need to check your home computers for spyware ASAP. If you have a wireless home network you may have to look into the security of that one too. Also if you have any other account information on your home computer, make sure to examine all transactions on those as well. Finally change all your passwords even if the accounts doesn't show any signs of abuse.

There are crooks out there who gather and sell account information in bundles, so sometime the passwords can be collected months before actually being used by a criminal. They might even sell different kind of information to different people so they will sell your ebay information to one crook and your banking information to another

That was what I was afraid of. I'm not very knowledgable about spyware, but I had problems with it earlier last year, and that very well could be the cause. Thanks for the advice.

 

[thewyrm]

I feel sick right now. Man, it is going to be such a pain and a hassle if I have to close my checking account. I feel like a [expletive] tool.

 

[Betsy]

This is the main reason I don't use paypal.

 

[Redlands Saints]

This is the main reason I don't use paypal.

this is the main reason I use paypal. I've had a couple of problems with credit card info being stolen during transactions but have had no problems with paypal or ebay.

wyrm shut off your bank account now before they figure out how to get the rest of your money or put you into hundreds of thousands of dollars into debit. we got lucky that someone at the bank thought it was strange that after I notified them I would be using my card in Australia someone walked into a flower shop and bought $750 worth of stuff in NYC. they shut off my card and sent me an email and phoned my home and my mom got a hold of us at the hotel to let us know. could have been worse.

 

[TheBigEasy99]

As someone who works for a bank, I would strongly recommend closing your account and starting a new one. I realize that is a pain if you have automatic drafts and deposits coming through, but there isn’t really anyway to guarantee the safety of your account once someone else has gotten a hold of your account number. I deal with this kind of stuff on a fairly regular basis, and I can tell you that you’ll probably sleep much better knowing that your account is secure (or at least more secure) than you will if you’re constantly wondering whether or not someone is going to clean out your account one day.

 

[Saint77]

I hope you get all this resolved.

Keep on your toes people!

 

[TDH]

I get fake paypal and ebay emails all the time. I just ignore them. Even if they look legit I never click on any links inside the email itself. I go to the web site by typing in the known url myself or using my bookmarks or googling it.

 

[Thorin]

I would have gotten away with it too, if not for you meddling kids.

 

[wamland]

I do use paypal but always remove my credit card after I buy something.

I had someone get my e-bay account and bid and win 600 items. That was fun..............

 

[keepoursaints]

Identity Theft Prevention – Identity Theft Protection – Stop Identity Theft

Seriously I think it costs up $20 a month.. $10 for each of us, but they are on top of everything from what we can tell. Anytime we make a large purchase or even have our credit checked they call us. We were looking at a car and they called us to ask if it was us doing that.

They stop all of the solicitian letters coming in from credit cards, etc.

They also have a $1,000,000 service policy that they implement if their services fail.

Just saying.. give it a look.


Edit: so sorry to hear this thewyrm good luck!

 

[geauxboy]

Those emails are usually fake. I believe one thing that tips you off is having a link to wherever in the email itslef. If there is a link to wherever, then mouse over it and see where it's actually leading you to. Read it carefully because it could be just one letter off and you can miss it.

NEVER use the links in an email. Go to the site itself like Postman said and see what comes up.

I am still going through one myself. I was in Prague a year and a half ago and someone just used my card to buy something there. They waited a year before they used it. I used cash throughout the entire trip until I had to buy a sweatshirt because it was kinda cold. i hadn't had a chance to hit an ATM yet, so I used my card. The one time I used my card for a purchase (other than some dinners), I got tagged.

 

[keepoursaints]

Those emails are usually fake. I believe one thing that tips you off is having a link to wherever in the email itslef. If there is a link to wherever, then mouse over it and see where it's actually leading you to. Read it carefully because it could be just one letter off and you can miss it.

NEVER use the links in an email. Go to the site itself like Postman said and see what comes up.

I am still going through one myself. I was in Prague a year and a half ago and someone just used my card to buy something there. They waited a year before they used it. I used cash throughout the entire trip until I had to buy a sweatshirt because it was kinda cold. i hadn't had a chance to hit an ATM yet, so I used my card. The one time I used my card for a purchase (other than some dinners), I got tagged.

Agreed.. always mouse over the link before clicking it to see where the link is REALLY going.