Account info stolen? Or? In Distress!

Has anyone had this happen to them? I know I'll have trouble sleeping tonight. Here is my scenerio:

I mailed a credit card bill for a local home improvement store earlier in the month. I received the next statement and it showed that the pymt was never applied. I called, and they said they never rec'd the check.

The day before yesterday I wrote a check for $64 to a local grocery store and it wouldn't go thru their check approval machine. It came back with an error message saying "too many stores in one day". They offered no explanation. I called my bank when I got home and talked to someone about what this meant and they told me it had nothing to do with my bank/checking account status, that it was an internal store thing".

Yesterday I got an envelope in the mail that didn't look familiar, and I didn't get around to opening it until tonight. It was a letter attached to my (partial) check that had been mailed to the credit processing company earlier in the month. Bad news is, my account info had been torn from the check, along with the top portion showing the check no.

I am deeply distressed that someone opened the envelope with the check and stole my account information. I had a LOT of $$ in the account for escrowing property taxes for two homes, plus my other budgeted bills.

Of course the banks aren't open today for me to follow up on anything.....what are my options here? If someone stole my checking account number and was buying things with it, am I a BIG loser here?

HELP!

Thanks,
Sandy

Sandy, your bank card should have a number on it for you to call in case of loss or theft. If not most banks have an emergency number just for problems just like this.

I wish you the best and hopefully this was just a group of mistakes and no one has taken your informations.

Casey

A friend of mine had her purse stolen. In her case, the bank had some kind of insurance that covered her losses but it took a while to get it back. Report it as soon as possible. Maybe they can put a hold on the account until you figure out what's going on.
Cheryl

I hate thieves!!!!!!!!!! Hope you get this settled easily.. A lot of insurance companies are offering assistance for identity theft (I know that's not what this is) for a small fee. It's worth investing in!! Ours is less than $50 a year for myself and husband. They help you with the legwork behind the theft should one occur.

Good luck!!!

Nicole

My purse was stolen last summer, and my social security card was taken. When I went to the SS office to get a new card and told them what happened, they gave me a brochure with phone numbers that are necessary to call, in case you are a possible victim of identity theft. Call these numbers and report:

Equifax
1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com

Experian
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
1-800-680-7289
www.tcu.com

They told me it is best to call all three of them, even though some say one can cover them all, and you also need to update it every three months. Which reminds me - I need to call again. It's been since August and I've moved twice since then.

It's scary but necessary to protect yourself.

You can also get this brocure that explains everything from your local Social Security Office. It tells you whether you can or can not get a whole new SS number and what to do. Hope this helps and God Bless.

Karrie

Check and see if your bank has an on line service for your account. You will need to create a name and a password for your account, but then you can check and see if anyone has tried to get into your account or transferred any funds. You can also freeze the account I believe. Unless they are able to get blank checks, I don't think they can write checks against your account, and they should have to produce ID although I suspect many stores don't ask for it. As soon as your bank opens tomorrow, I would consider going in and setting up a new account, and transferring your funds into it. If you have no outstanding checks, this won't create a problem. Who sent you the letter??

Hi Everyone...thanks for the advice! The banks are closed today in observence of the New Year. I don't have a check-card, but I am worried that because the account # part of the check (& the area where the check number is ) was tore off from my check, that someone is paying for items over the phone using my account info. I have done that myself in the past when I forgot to pay a bill. All's you have to do is call the vendor/store etc and give them a check # and the account # and they will deduct it from the account. I checked the online banking system, but it takes seven days to receive a user ID and password. I guess I will just have to wait unless there are any bankers here that can provide me with any other ideas, or ??

Thanks everyone~

Sandy

Sandy: What an awful thing to have to go through!

My husband, a former banking employee, advises that you close out your account and open a new one, preferably in a new bank. The "too many stores in one day" message comes from the bank--it's their way of limiting their liability in case someone's account info is stolen and the thief goes on a shopping spree. The bank employee told you it was "an internal store thing" either is a new employee who doesn't know what he/she is talking about, or he/she was lying. Either way, I would be leery of continuing to keep money with them!

Rhonda

I agree, close it out. Didn't see if you posted who the letter came from? The store? The bank?

Sandy, does your bank offer a 24 hr a day automated teller? That would be where you call a bank phone number and are able to access your account over the phone. If so, you could check today to make you feel more at ease. I certainly don't have a good feeling about this.....good luck!

A few years ago DH's exwife used a child support check and took the information off the bottom of one of his checks. And then she went on an internet buying spree! Wow...that was a miserable time to be had by all. (LOL Especially DH with all my griping!) She also opened an AOL account with that info too. And since DH rarely opens his bank statements (that was then....he certainly does NOW) it was almost 8 months later that we figured out what she had done. The bank refunded 2 months worth of the AOL charges...and said it was a civil matter after that. Geez!!!

Again...good luck.

Hello.......

Meezer's....the check was written to Retail Services...they'e the ones that handle Menards credit card accounts. They are the ones that sent me the letter with what was left of my check.

So....the check made it to the proper place. I'm now thinking that if it was opened somewhere in the mail system, that the offender wouldn't have taken the time to send it on to Retail Services. So, it must (?) be something that was done once it got to where it was suppose to go (Retail Services)? What are your thoughts?

Brinda...my bank does have automated banking but I don't have a PIN # set up, so I can't access any info :0(

I'm hoping and praying that this works out and it was accidentally eaten by a machine or something......

Sandy

Sandy, do you have an ATM card where you can go and check your balance at the bank's outside ATM machine?

Hi Sandra...

No, no ATM card. I've always shyed away from all this automated banking/ATM "stuff". I just feel SO helpless!

Sandy

fingers crossed for you tomorrow - let us know how it goes

I would call Menards also and ask for a contact number at Retail Services, and ask them why the critical numbers were missing from the returned check. They must have received the check if they sent it back to you. They also must have opened the original envelope you sent it in. If there is mischief going on in their office, they need to know about it. Do they customarily rip off the routing and account into preprinted on the checks they receive?

Last year we had some credit cards (replacements for soon-to-be-expiring ones) stolen from our mailbox. We didn't know about it until the bank called several days later to ask if we were using the card as an ATM - we have never done that, so it got their attention. It turned out that whoever stole the cards activated them from our phone number while my daughters and I were home - which means they went into our backyard and hooked into the phone junction box to call the number on the back of the cards and get them turned on. That was the worst part of the whole thing. They set up a PIN number at the same time (we didn't have one), and then drove around Houston taking cash out of ATM machines until the system noticed and started blocking them. Now we have a verbal password on our account there, so anytime we call about ANYTHING we have to tell them the password before they will even talk to us. The bank took care of everything for us and was VERY helpful and understanding.

We had some outgoing mail stolen from the mailbox several months later which caused other chaos. Several bills didn't make it to their destination so we had late fees and our credit card's (a different one, now cancelled - YAYYY!) interest went from 4.9% to 25% because the check never arrived. So now we don't send outgoing mail from our box at all; my DH drops it all off in a blue box on his way to work.

I hope you got everything taken care of this morning, Sandy.

~ Marylyn

I've had my outgoing mail stolen, too, near Christmas (several years ago). I guess someone was hoping there'd be cash floating in there. But I had 2 bills not make it to their destination. I moved since then, but I won't put the red flag up on the mailbox anymore. Our mail person still grabs our mail, but now I have the peace of mind that mail will get where it's supposed to go to.

go to your bank and change your checking account. take the letter and show them what was sent to you and go from there. i am so so sorry this has happened. hopefully you have already went to the bank.

Wow...what some stories! (especially yours Marylyn)!

I spent over an hour at the bank after work closing the account, verifying the amounts for checks I had written since mid November, and then finally opening a new account.

The bank manager told me it definately looked like my check was tampered with (yah), and went to work right away getting things taken care of even though it was only 15 minutes before closing time.

It all went smoothly, but what a hassle. The bank told me that even if someone had made purchases against my account (via the internet or phone), that I wouldn't have been held responsible for those charges. I would have had to sign an affidavit stating I didn't make the purchases and the money would have been deposited back into my account. Then their loss recovery team would have followed up and did whatever it is they needed to do.

Whew. What a relief. Sure made for an unpleasant New Years weekend, having that worry in the back of my mind. Thanks SO much everyone for your words of wisdom, well wishes, and shoulders to cry on!

Sandy

Glad everything worked out for you, Sandy. Hope it stays that way.

My DH's debit card number was stolen a few months ago. He tried to use it one day and it said the account was blocked. We called the bank and they said that someone in Spain tried to use the number so they blocked that purchase and the card immediately.

I'm SO glad your bank took care of it for you, Sandy. :-)

~ Marylyn

Glad it turned out okay. Now are you going to color that gray that popped up on your head? I would have to.

Glad it turned out okay. Now are you going to color that gray that popped up on your head? I would have to.

Whew, sure happy you got it all taken care of. I worried enough for both of us today! LOL

I was just remembering something.

My mother's checkbook was stolen out of her purse once, as she had it in the top part of the cart, and open. They think what happened was that when she reached to get something off a shelf, someone grabbed it. She didn't even know it had happened until after they'd rung up her groceries and she couldn't find her checkbook.

Those days of trust are gone boys and girls. You have to keep your purses attached to your bodies.

My mother called the bank and they told her to go sign affadavits at the police station/court house about the incident - and only because of that, she was not held accountable for any transactions made after it was signed. Over $2500 was forged but they caught the culprits - apparently a ring here in Spokane. Every once in awhile my mom get's a restitution check, usually in the amount less than $5.00, as some purchases were made before the affadavit.

My mom went beyond the affadavit, however, she called every grocery chain and store that she had time to and let them know to be on watch for her checks. If memory serves me right, that is how these people got busted. Sometimes you have to do your own work. The authorities can only help you so much.