There's a Problem With Your Order

So, I'm sitting there, minding my own business, when the phone rings. I check the caller ID and it's some out of area call. Probably a telemarketer. I let it go to voicemail. Later, I see that they actually left a message, so I listen to it and find out it's from "Old Navy Online". Apparently there is a problem with the order I placed today and they need me to contact them. Yeah, there's a problem alright ... I didn't place any order with Old Navy Online!


So I call them back to find out what the deal is. They state that somebody placed an order with my information today, but to a "suspicious" shipping address. Not only that, they used my old address as the billing address. They used my American Express card. The lady tells me she cannot tell me what the ship-to address is, which means I can't drive there and beat the holy hell out of anybody. Which is probably just as well, since I'd probably end up getting my ass kicked. :) The lady tells me they have already canceled the order, but that I should probably contact American Express to alert them to the fraudulent activity.

So then I call American Express and talk to another nice lady, who as best as I can tell, is in India. Before I can even tell her why I'm calling, she tells me that she needs me to verify some "recent charges". Uh oh. I have not used this card in months.

Turns out there is another charge that has been placed for "myfamily.com". Interesting choice for a fraudulent charge. First they want to verify that the card is in my possession. I tell them it is, but apparently that's not good enough, because they want the little 4 digit code off the card. So I give it to 'em. Finally satisified, she says that they will need to issue me a replacement card, but first they need to verify my identity. Now here's the interesting part. They say they need to use information that is publicly available and not tied to my account. Huh? Well, OK, I play along. They ask me for a name of a living relative who is not on the account. I give them my father's name. Apparently he is not related to me, according to their files. I give them my mother's name. Nope. My sister? Uh uh. How 'bout my brother? Negatory. OK, how about you give us the date and year of your mother's birthday? Well, I don't know that off the top of my head (sorry Mom!). I look it up on my calendar and tell them. They tell me I'm wrong. I tell them that they are full of [rambling expletive laced phraseology omitted] and that I'm a little annoyed at getting put through the ringer after somebody has gotten ahold of my info.

Shortly thereafter, I am transferred to the "special handling" department. I've never felt so special in my life! This time I am able to give them answers that correspond with their version of reality, and the card replacement process begins.

So, weird. I have the card, so nobody stole the card itself. Somebody apparently got ahold of the information, though, along with my old billing address. Another thing that occurred to me after the fact is that almost a year ago I had some mysterious charges for AOL suddenly show up on the same card. I disputed the charges and it was no problem ... I assumed it was probably just a billing error but I really have to wonder now if my card number has been floating around in the ether all this time. Strange that it would be such a long time between attempted uses of the account, though.

Oh, well. This just reinforces my reasons for never, ever using a debit card. If somebody gets ahold of your credit card number, its a minor hassle getting the card re-issued under a different number, disputing charges, etc. If they get ahold of your debit card number, the money is GONE from your bank account until you get it straightened out, and that can lead to all kinds of other bad mojo (bad checks for instance!).

In other news ... it's truly a sad day in aviation history.



Read Full Post