The Vent and Rant Thread

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

well, I've been bank hacked. nothing online, just capturing the digits at the point of sale. first raised eyebrow was a sale of over $400 at a truck stop in Ohio, then a similar one in Iowa. the thousand in checking is gone, the 10k in savings is gone. in theory it will all come back, but when? I have to leave this account open until the investigation is complete, then will leave a small amount in as it is a local bank and finally switch everything over to USAA which I've been trying to do for years. the amount of payments that you don't always think about like the "good to go" toll pass, norton, things like that are staggering, even op top of normal ones like mortgage and utilities. I have $200 cash and my USAA low balance credit card. it couldn't happen at a worse time, I need dog and cat food, that's over 100, horse feed, gas, realtor fees, and oh yeah. people food. when will we chip our cards like is done in Europe to stop this crap?

KK:

Truly dreadful. I know what it feels like to have zero money due to someone else's evil deed--I wasn't bank hacked, per se, but this year, the IRS seized (UNLAWFULLY, I'm not just saying that) a boatload of money, clearing out every penny I had in "current" money (checking, business checking, local savings, that type of thing), with payroll due at the end of that week. I never owed them the money; they'd misplaced (MISPLACED!!!) a very large payment of quarterly taxes that I'd sent them, on time, in 2012. I'd been telling them I'd paid it for 18 months, sent them copies of the checks, everything--and they seized the money anyway.

As it turns out, I finally found a real, live, sympathetic IRS person to speak to, who DID track down the money, so I got it back, but I know what a terrifying thing it is to have zero available money at-hand. And dependent mouths to feed, too. I truly feel for you.

The DH was once identity-thieved, but (unlike you) humorously. Apparently his identity was only worth $0.99, because his identity was only used to buy some tween-age music on iTunes. Seriously: one song. The trouble it caused in "fixing" it was more aggro than the $0.99.

What do the banks and cops say? Any time frames for restoring the dough, other than "eventually?"

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

KK:

How awful! I hope everything will be made okay SOON, not eventually.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm so sorry to hear that, kk. I think identity thieves are some of the lowest scum on the planet. They take so much more than just money. They take your credit, your good name, your peace of mind. This really sucks.

it's actualy just a bank hack now. we had the full on identity thing almost fifteen years ago, that was a nightmare! every once in awhile we get something that raises its head, which I will cover in the IRS part

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'm sorry to hear that. I can just say: "I hope it never happens to me."

I refuse to use my credit card anywhere. I don't think it's a good idea you can pay for stuff by only punching in some names and dates. There have to be a few conditions for me to use my credit card:

- There is no other seller (that I can realistically use) that has what I want.
- There is no other method of paying.
- The seller must be well regarded.

If I'm not sure about one of those three points, especially the last one, I rather forego the entire transaction than to use my credit card. While PayPal might not be perfect (I've read about problems with them, in the past, although I never had one), I run all my non-Netherlands transactions through them as much as possible, to avoid leaving my credit card data all over the globe. The only exceptions are Amazon, and two other stores I know that are very well regarded throughout the world, and within several communities/online forums. (The owners are actually IN the communities and on the forums, and started the stores because of that. Bad reviews = dead store, probably.)



LOL. It's actually funny, and you beat me on posting that remark

actually credit cards are pretty darn safe. I wouldn't worry much about them especially as you guys are chipped now. my once caveat would be to not let it out of my sight, ie; the standard has always been to let a server take your card away at a restaurant, then bring it back in the little folder. even though that wasn't the problem here, I will stay with my card from now on

Originally Posted by Hitch

KK:

Truly dreadful. I know what it feels like to have zero money due to someone else's evil deed--I wasn't bank hacked, per se, but this year, the IRS seized (UNLAWFULLY, I'm not just saying that) a boatload of money, clearing out every penny I had in "current" money (checking, business checking, local savings, that type of thing), with payroll due at the end of that week. I never owed them the money; they'd misplaced (MISPLACED!!!) a very large payment of quarterly taxes that I'd sent them, on time, in 2012. I'd been telling them I'd paid it for 18 months, sent them copies of the checks, everything--and they seized the money anyway.

As it turns out, I finally found a real, live, sympathetic IRS person to speak to, who DID track down the money, so I got it back, but I know what a terrifying thing it is to have zero available money at-hand. And dependent mouths to feed, too. I truly feel for you.

The DH was once identity-thieved, but (unlike you) humorously. Apparently his identity was only worth $0.99, because his identity was only used to buy some tween-age music on iTunes. Seriously: one song. The trouble it caused in "fixing" it was more aggro than the $0.99.

What do the banks and cops say? Any time frames for restoring the dough, other than "eventually?"

Hitch

I did have my own IRS nightmare after the identity hacking. it's not completely, but mostly over now, they still seem to think we are hiding helicopters and luxury yachts. seriously, actually it's mostly one semi rogue agent who broke a lot of their own laws. at it's worst, we, as a family of three, six horses, four dogs and I think five cats at the time, were receiving a grand total of $35 a month for about four months (and yeah they had cleared everything out as well) fortunately I had three freezers full of beef, pork and farm fresh vegies as well as a good start on that seasons garden. I had been doing a lot of contracting prior to that so my income was always erratic and for whatever reason I had gotten in the habit of taking half my pay check in cash and stashing it in a tampax box.

it really is criminal what those people can get away with. numerous quite innocent people have suicided over the treatment.

[kindlekitten]

so I did call the bank back about filing a police report, the division I have been working with thus far is the fraud division, and they ensure you get your money back (and I did just see a partial deposit go in!). the investigative side are the ones that deal with the police, and the fraud guy said it is entirely possible that the bank has already filed with the police as they are also victims, but I should hear more in a day or so.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

so I did call the bank back about filing a police report, the division I have been working with thus far is the fraud division, and they ensure you get your money back (and I did just see a partial deposit go in!). the investigative side are the ones that deal with the police, and the fraud guy said it is entirely possible that the bank has already filed with the police as they are also victims, but I should hear more in a day or so.

Very good to hear that there is some progress! But...

In theory it will all come back, but when? I have to leave this account open until the investigation is complete, then will leave a small amount in as it is a local bank and finally switch everything over to USAA which I've been trying to do for years.

How long has this been going on; for years already? You can't be years without money... or did you just mean it as an exaggeration, and the timespan actually is a few days, or weeks?

(I understand that whatever the timespan is, it will always be too long....)

[kindlekitten]

oh, sorry, no, this situation has not been going on for years, the household argument over switching everything to USAA has been going on for years. I've always had my own personal account there and been more than happy. I mean they bend over backwards and will get money to you if you are stranded, have this type of situation, have been robbed, etc etc. and it's pretty much a "take care of the customer then ask questions" sort of policy and it seems to be working. quite well

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I did have my own IRS nightmare after the identity hacking. it's not completely, but mostly over now, they still seem to think we are hiding helicopters and luxury yachts. seriously, actually it's mostly one semi rogue agent who broke a lot of their own laws. at it's worst, we, as a family of three, six horses, four dogs and I think five cats at the time, were receiving a grand total of $35 a month for about four months (and yeah they had cleared everything out as well) fortunately I had three freezers full of beef, pork and farm fresh vegies as well as a good start on that seasons garden. I had been doing a lot of contracting prior to that so my income was always erratic and for whatever reason I had gotten in the habit of taking half my pay check in cash and stashing it in a tampax box.

it really is criminal what those people can get away with. numerous quite innocent people have suicided over the treatment.

Oh, yes, and now, joy of joys, they'll be in charge of healthcare. I can't wait for that. Can't imagine what genius thought THAT was a good idea. The single most abusive employees in government?

I had a run-in with them way back in...'86, I think it was. I owed them, it seems, $300-some-odd in taxes, due to a new calculation on the value of a non-cash benefit I was receiving (I honestly forget what it was--a phone, or health bennies or something). Now, in the then-current year, they owed ME over $1100 in my refund, in a return that they'd already processed but hadn't yet refunded. The agent in charge kept threatening me, calling me near-daily, about how they were going to come to my house, seize everything that they found, etc. This is for THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS, mind you, not Three Hundred THOUSAND. And it wasn't like I'd cheated on my taxes or hidden money. It was an honest mistake.

I told him, "well, dude, I hope you wear a size 8 suit, and look good in skirts, because that's about all I have." I was renting an apartment, and in a move, almost everything I owned had been lost, so I had the clothes on my back and whatever I'd bought new, nothing else. No pets, even, just me and some suits. (never did get that stuff back).

They used to have a position--the "Ombudsman," (abolished now, of course, because it worked)--and I had to go to him to get it solved, saying for the nth time, "LOOK, just take the money from the refund, for *&^%$#@! sake!" It was RIDICULOUS.


Hitch

[cromag]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oh, sorry, no, this situation has not been going on for years, the household argument over switching everything to USAA has been going on for years. I've always had my own personal account there and been more than happy. I mean they bend over backwards and will get money to you if you are stranded, have this type of situation, have been robbed, etc etc. and it's pretty much a "take care of the customer then ask questions" sort of policy and it seems to be working. quite well

Reminds me of a "battle" I've been fighting here ... for years.

I belong to a credit union. It used to be a Bell Labs specific credit union, but they've opened it up in recent years as Bell Labs has downsized. Decent return on my savings, no fees on anything (and I can use another credit union's ATM without any fees from them).

My wife is with a big name bank, pays them for the privilege of getting her money from their ATM, etc. I cannot get her to switch.

Inertia is a powerful force.

[CRussel]

The credit union here is a joy. Decent return, good price on our mortgage, and they clear cheques instantly, no matter where they are from. (And we get most cheques from the US, so they are international cheques they are clearing most often.)

Plus, they are INVOLVED in the community, helping to support a wide variety of events and groups, both with my (and my fellow members) $$, but also their employees are volunteers in all kinds of things.

It's a fairly small CU. Three branches, all on the Coast. And they are not in any hurry to merge with any of the big CUs in BC.

[Stitchawl]

Glad to hear that some progress is being made. This sort of thing really is a pita!

I live on credit cards here, and have to be careful about using ATMs. It's very common for thieves to attach 'card scanners' to the card slots on ATMs that are very hard to recognize. One of our local Thai forums has a sub-forum just for reporting where the latest scanner has been seen. I've gotten into the habit of only using ATMs right outside of banks rather than street-side or in shopping malls.


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

I'd like to know if there is a way us basic laymen can recognize them

[cromag]

Very hard to impossible. We recently had a case where someone managed to put the scanner inside the ATM. Hard to imagine how that could happen unless it was an "inside job."

[Stitchawl]

One of the most common methods is to just stick a tiny camera on a circuit board to the top of the ATM area. That sees both the card number and the pin number as it's being punched in. Costs just a few bucks, easy to make, and very effective.


Stitchawl

[samhy]

Kindlekitten and Hitch, I feel for you guys

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by samhy

Kindlekitten and Hitch, I feel for you guys

Thanks, Samhy, but I was fortunate; after some determined holding (2 hours) that day that the money was seized, 2 more hours working through all the documents with the (nice) IRS agent, and then another 2 hours talking to the bank the following day, I had my money back by Wednesday, after it had been stolen--oh, sorry, SEIZED unlawfully--the Monday. I was able to make payroll and all that by week's end.

I do have monies squirreled away--rainy day and all that--but I had all sorts of automatic payments for various and sundry business expenses slated (for SAS, Cloud services, etc.) and I was pretty freaked out about the idea of bouncing a check (effectively) to the project management SAS service I use, or the Desk CSR software, Amazon S3, Dropboxes, etc., as that could literally shut down my business. And let's face it, for an Internet biz--that would be bad, bad, bad. ;-)

Thanks for your kind words.

Hitch