Fearless Money

If you’ve taken the time to read about my credit fraud or my debit fraud experiences, you’ll know that it hasn’t been any fun at all for me…. In this post, I’ll try to find a silver lining in the whole experience.The only positive element I can come up with is my lessons learned: Banks and credit card companies simply do not care. They will not follow up, and they will certainly not take any proactive actions to block credit fraud…. Put more bluntly, once debit fraud starts, you are liable for an infinite amount of money for an infinite time. If you must close your bank account due to debit fraud, it is better to change banks entirely. That way the bank will not be able to “attach” the money in your new account during the inevitable dispute to follow…. Many scammers will put a test charge in, and if it is not challenged, they’ll start a regular “leak” on your account…. Find out if your credit card allows you to generate “one time use numbers”…. This works by making a number you can enter on a website which will be valid only once and which must be used within a set amount of time, usually a few months. . . . → Read More: My fraud experience – Part 4, Top 10 Lessons Learned

I have had an account with Washington Mutual for years. It is a good bank in the Northwest, with a lot of local branches and with absolutely free ATMs and online billpay. However, they just don’t know how to deal with Debit Card fraud.

It all started on September 24, when I got a . . . → Read More: My fraud experience – Part 3, Debit Fraud

I thought I’d start with the easy one. On November 29, 2005, scammers using the business name “JM Business Products” changed my Bank of America credit card $9.95. I noticed it straightaway when I was balancing my budget, which I try to do every week. I was paying pending bills, and noticed a charge . . . → Read More: My fraud experience – Part 2, Credit Fraud

I am a victim of credit fraud. Actually, both credit and debit fraud. It is a terrible experience, and one I wish I could say has been a learning one. But really, it is mostly just painful and annoying. Luckily so far, it has not been financially dangerous. I haven’t bounced any checks nor . . . → Read More: My fraud experience – Part 1, Introduction