As an Internet veteran, I consider myself fairly savvy about the workings of the World Wide Web. I have been around long enough to know of the seedy underbelly of humanity that frequent some parts of the web.
Working for a bank designing their online payment strategies I am also well aware of the various efforts crooks will undertake to try and swindle people out of their money. The number of scams that come across my desk and through my email would astound you.
Through all of this I take great care in protecting my information especially when shopping on the web. It was therefore quite a surprise when Trina began questioning me about activity on our bank account.
Looking over the transactions there were clearly some discrepancies from our normal spending habits. As we continued to monitor the accounts there were suddenly more transactions with escalating dollars that were not ours.
Trina immediately was on the phone with the bank. Somehow my credit card number had been compromised and the thief was making the most of it. It began with a charge to an individual in North Carolina for $2.16.
From that transaction there was a charge to Victoria Secret for $189 followed by a charge to Lowes in North Carolina for $255. While Trina and the bank worked to move money around and close accounts where necessary I was watching the accounts.
I was certain the next purchase would be electronics as that is typically what a thief will buy with a stolen credit card. They are easy to fence and rarely traceable.
Whoever had my credit card number was planning something and I started to envy him just a little. Anyone who buys nearly $200 in women’s underwear and $255 in building supplies has a much more exciting life than me.
As near as I could tell this guy was going to stage his own Victoria Secret fashion show. I secretly wondered if I would get an invitation to the event. After all, I was paying for it.
0 Comments