Timely Story on Bank Fraud
I woke up this morning to an email from Bank of America, alerting me of "irregular activity" on my account. Sure enough, after logging in to examine the damages, someone in Plano had scored $900 worth of merch at a local Wal-Mart overnight.
I don’t know about you, but this happens to me about once a year and never really surprises me anymore. It’s relatively easy to deal with, and only a minor inconvenience (not even a fraction of trouble compared to identity fraud). Furthermore, I’m always thankful that guidelines are in place that protect the account holder and encourage banks and merchants to be alert and vigilant.
Anyways, after 10 minutes on the phone this morning I’m back to my regular routine. While reading through the headlines, I saw this story from the NY Times. Timely, eh? Maybe I should reconsider my accounts with Bank of America…
Once a year seems awfully high. It’s happened to me once in 12 years. But maybe it happens more with bigger banks. I used a small town bank for my entire life until I moved to New Jersey 2 years ago. Now I use Wachovia, I got hit about a year ago. I had my checking account set up to automatically mail a check to my landlord once a month. Someone hacked my account and set up a check to me mailed to Uncle Tito in Ohio for $2500. Wachovia immediately called, I guess the give away was the name Uncle Tito. Seriously, if you’re smart enough to hack into my checking account pick a realistic name.
Hahaha…that’s funny. Maybe it was really Tito from the Heartbreak Kid.