Just had to get this out...

[Norquist Nemesis]

First let me say, I'm not looking for sympathy. I just need to get this off my chest. I'm still so fucking pissed about it!

A little background...

About a year and half ago, I was fired from my position as Dir of Sales at a mid-price hotel. There were a lot of things going on with my family, especially my daughter who we had pulled out of public school and enrolled in a private Montessori school to the tune of $1,000+ per month tuition. She would not have survived had we not done it. Hubby and I decided that we could make it on just his salary and I've done some jobs as a sub-contractor in marketing with a little ebay thrown in. Hubby also is an ebay power seller and works hard at it to bring in extra money to pay for the groceries. All in all, my 'staying home' has been the best decision. Here's the really shitty part...

He gets paid every two weeks and last Friday was his payday (direct deposit). So, on Monday I go onto our online banking to get ready to set up on-line bill paying and check the account activity. I usually check the account every 2-3 days at a minimum. I had paid the phone bill and gas/electric bill over the phone on Friday so I didn't go into the account and actually look at it. When I log in, we're fucking $95+ overdrafted...what the fuck??? I look at the activity and some asshole has managed to get the swipe--with my pin number--and thought it would be fun to wipe us out!!! I'm so pissed off about it!

This scum did a $200 ATM the day before hubby's payday, then got gas plus a couple of extras on Friday. Then over the weekend went to a couple of other ATMs and cleaned the rest out! FUCK!!! I had to fill out an affadavit and we're disputing the charges. The banks has been really great about it (we've been with them for over 15 years), but it's still going to be 5-7 days before we get any money back into the account from the disputed charges! It's a good thing I had gone to the store on Sunday else we'd have nothing to eat and no way of buying food!

I hope they find this low-life, rat bastard, fucking piece of shit and put him in the worst prison in Illinois!!!

*sigh* Well, I don't feel better but at least it's off my chest.

[ewagner]

1. Sorry that happened to you

hope things work out better for you! :hug:

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Thanks. It will...

I'm just still in a rage about it. It's not the first time we've had to go through some tough shit in our 24 years of marriage. We have a roof over our heads, transportation, phone, tv, (and computer with internet LOL), which is more than we had 24 years ago. It will be okay...hard...but okay.

Thanks again! :)

[Red State Rebel]

26. Someone stole the Visa/ATM card from my non-profit group...

when we were at a competition.

I had no idea! I got a call from my bank (Bank of America) a couple days after we got back and the activity had triggered an alarm with them. Whoever it was had cleaned us out!

Bank of America was wonderful about it - we identified the transactions that were not ours and the money was back in my account withn 2 days. I was floored. They took off the NSF charges it caused and everything. Didn't cost us one dime.

I hope yours gets fixed this easily!!

[Norquist Nemesis]

27. Kind of the same with us

except we still have posession of my card. Yeah, it does suck and it's going to take a few days. Since this was a debit/credit type card and the way they went about it was cash transactions it didn't sound any alerts. The guy we're working with was a little suprised because the two this weekend (one for $500 plus ATM fee and $240 plus ATM fee) thought it shouldn't have gone through...the limit is $500 per day. But since it was over the weekend, the timing gets screwy with the posting.

Anyway, thanks for the kind thoughts. :) It will be okay in a few days. A few more bald spots and maybe a couple of days of figuring out how to make a meal of boullion, eggs, and croutons...but it will be okay.

That's one thing about the hard times of the past. You learn the sun still rises. :)

[Laszlo_Hollyfeld]

3. Cheezus, how did someone get your ATM card and PIN?

Is anything else missing? Credit cards, etc?

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Wish I knew. It was apparently

a mechanical hack since they have my PIN. I've been so careful about it too! I hope I find out exactly how/where this scum managed to do it. I still have my card so they managed to get the magnetic swipe with pin. Shit! I even take the time when I get gas to go inside and pay with credit option on my debit/credit card. It only took one time I was in a hurry, I guess. Other than this, they don't have any other of my cards.

[7th_Sephiroth]

28. they make false ATM fronts

with a card reader over the card reader, and with a hidden camera and the right hardware you can make a duplicate ATM card and the camera can catch your pin number

[shanti]

4. as a victim of

identity theft, i sympathize with you! it really sucks and takes some time out of your life, but the end will come (about 6 months). email me if you want.

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Six months?

Jeez! I'm hoping we get everything squared within a couple of weeks. It's not exactly ID theft in my mind, maybe I should think about it that way.

The card's been cancelled and we're to be sure and check any activity over a minimum of the next 10 days on the account. Hubby's card is find...at least so far. I appreciate the gesture to email you and may take you up on that depending on how things go.

[Pithlet]

18. If they got your pin

along with the swipe, it's a good bet that it is identity theft of some kind. Geeze, that is scary. I hope everything gets straightened out soon. I used to work in credit card security (fraud control), and you'd be amazed at the way criminals do it.

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Funny thing is...

I saw on a news report a couple of months ago that criminals were putting devices on machines at the gas pumps so I've been extra attentive to it. It wasn't in our area (Chicago) according to the report but I thought best to be aware. I'd really like to know how they got the PIN too...that's the really puzzling thing about it. The bank tells me that they had to have a physical card (and I have mine!) so it was a magnetic swipe somehow.

Yes, I'm amazed at not only 'how' they manage to do it, but that they do it at all. :(

[Pithlet]

25. That's really weird.

Was this a debit card or a traditional ATM? It is possible to copy the data on a magnetic strip on the back of cards. It's possible whoever mined that data got your number by watching you push the ATM code. To do both would be very tricky, which is probably why your bank hadn't experienced that type of fraud yet. I bet they'll be seeing more cases of it in your area. When you used it for gas, did you have any trouble? Had you or anyone who uses the card ever have any trouble at an ATM machine, particularly one of those stand alone types that they'd never seen at that location before? Sometimes crooks will set up fake ATM machines that don't actually work, and while the victim tries to use the card, it records everything along with the pin number.

[Norquist Nemesis]

29. The only places I've used it

is at the gas and grocery store. It's a debit card but I haven't used it at any ATM machines. I know what you're saying about watching the pin being pushed. That's why I've tried to be careful about using it with the credit option vs. the debit requiring the pin number.

No one has been in posession of the card except me and I haven't used it at any ATM machines. So, it had to be either at the gas station or grocery store. It wouldn't suprise me anymore if it was one of the clerks somehow. It's just how it happens. But it's a very limited number of places, thankfully. It was likely somehow sold nd I'm feeling pretty good that there will be more of the same that will lead to a single source for how it happened and who did it.

[MissMarple]

5. Keeping a pantry is a good idea. It's an old idea, but it still works.

People who live in rural areas do it, Mormons almost require it, I do it. There are folks who buy ahead a little at a time, so that when times get tough or you can't get to the store because of a civil or natural emergency,(ie. a tornado, an earthquake, an insurgency, etc...) you have water and food to get by. Canned goods, dried goods, paper towels, TP, etc., the whole idea is to get you past an emergency situation, whatever that may be. You can make soups, stews, pancakes, cereal. You are only limited by your imagination.

I don't mean to preach or seem like a Pollyanna, but it has actually worked for me. :D

[yaquiway]

8. That is a good idea

Yaqui culture teaches the same thing.

[MissMarple]

14. Hi, yaquiway!

Welcome to DU! :bounce:

[jukes]

30. Hi, yaquiway!

nice meeting you!:hi:

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Pantry's are always good to get you through..

the thing is that we will in a small Condo with minimal storage space. I do bulk shopping as much as possible with things. Usually I'll do a grocery shop over the weekend that hubby gets paid then a meat shop early in the week. I think I'll be able to squeese enough of the frozen meat (I picked up a couple of cans of Spam on a whim last shop LOL) to hopefully get us through. Also, the fact that my daughter's out for the summer will help because I'm not spending the $30 or so on gas that's needed to take and pick her up from school.

I don't think of your suggestions as a Pollyanna at all. If we were in a bigger place, you can bet your sweet patootie that my pantry would have a minimum month's supply. :D

[Insider]

9. did the bank admit any problems?

last month, i got a letter stating that some account PINs may have been compromised (large east coast bank). they issued new cards to avoid potential problems. another friend told me he got the same thing at the end of may (medium-sized federal credit union).

whatever the source, best wishes for a speedy recovery. sorry for the hassles, but glad you have food & shelter & family.

[Norquist Nemesis]

16. No, we brought it to their attention and

the guy we've been working with at the bank told us he's only encountered this one other time. I believe it as it was obvious that he needed to make a call with every step that needed taken to get everything resolved. In an odd sort of way, it was comforting that the bank didn't tell us "Oh sure! Here's what you do!"

In the end, it's between the bank and the criminal. Since it's a sizeable amount they will go after it aggresively because they're out the money.

[Michigander4Dean]

10. Five words describe the thief

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID

[loveable liberal]

12. dont forget stinky

[Norquist Nemesis]

17. Stupid, yes. But I have a moniker

of sonofabitch fucktard asswipe evil piece of shit!

One of the questions on the affadavit is whether I would be willing to appear in court about this. Hell YES! I hope I get the invitation!!!

[loveable liberal]

11. bank mailing 'f' ups

recently i was sent someones bank statment in the mail, apparently someone from california's envelope was stuck to mine. diebold must make the envelope licking machines also....

[Norquist Nemesis]

19. LOL--I've had that happen

I've also had the banks (we use two different banks) mail me pieces of paper that I mistakenly left at the counter with hand-written notes that they found it. Overall, banks realize that it doesn't bode well to piss off their customers. It's the criminals (yes, like Diebold) that do the shit like ID theft and what was done to us that need to be put on permanent trash patrol for the rest of their despicable lives.

[MI Cherie]

22. Diebold makes the ATM machines ...

... that some banks have!

:scared:

[devilgrrl]

15. Oh my... so sorry

That blows, I hope they nail the punk. In the mean time. :hug:

[Norquist Nemesis]

20. Thanks. That means lots. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. Oh man! I'm sorry to hear that. And also glad you got to the store.

Good thing is most banks will cover everything except $50. Some even cover it all. But that really sucks that you've got to wait. I hope they catch the creep.

Take care,
Laura

[Bat Boy]

24. Happened to me once...

And I found out in much the same way.

It was pretty easy to prove I wasn't in Mexico, which was where all the charges took place, so it was cleared up quickly.

I found creditors and the bank very understanding. Hope you get through it as painlessly as possible.