View Full Version : warning about identity theft!
Ladies and gentlemen i need to tell this story in the hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. It started when i got arrested today for theft of £1000 from my local video store. I was taken to the police station and formely interviewed. A horrible experience i never want to go through again in my life. I'll explain why this happened. Almost 2 weeks ago my local video store was robbed and the money was taken. The girl was arrested immediately after and taken to the police station where she was interviewed and released to attend court the next day. She never turned up so the police issued a warrant for her arrest. Hence the police turning up on my doorstep and arresting me. When she was first interviewed she provided identification as to who she was in the form of a bank statement and a utility bill......these, she had managed to get from my rubbish bags !!!!!! I was in the police station for 4 hours protesting my innocence but had to wait untill the arresting officer came on duty to identify me. Of course he couldn't because i wasn't the person he had arrested for the crime in the first place. It was a very distressing experience and my son had to witness me being carted off in the back of a police car......all because i was careless with my paperwork. Please please PLEASE make sure you shred any unused items or soak them in water till they turn to mush so no one can use them claiming to be you. You always think this happens to "other people" but i can assure you it happens every day to anyone. I understand the police were only doing their job so don't blame them in the slightest, if anything, i blame myself. Don't make the same mistake i did people. It COULD happen to you.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
01-06-2005, 21:14
Oh my god *opens mouth wide in horror* I better tell my dad to be careful now.. nahh shall let him read this... Poor you. Thank god you're fine. x
Oh god!. Poor you!!! it must have been distressing. Hope you and your son are ok.
The police in our area have put notes through the door warning people thats its been going on where me live. In the main I shread all our stuff and put it in seperate bags or take it into work. I've still got the bits of all the cards i've cut up in the past as I dont want to chuck them!
I thank you for your warning. I tear up statements etc. But tomorrow I am going to buy a shredder. I am glad you got things sorted out and hope your child is ok after mummy going off to the police station. I can not imagine what you must have been though, I hope you are ok now.
.:Kitz:.
02-06-2005, 10:33
My dads got this shreader and my brother loves shreding all the paperwork (strange child......) any way, i hope you and your son are ok now Rain_
$sTaCeY$
02-06-2005, 10:38
gosh thats bad thankgod your alright now!
I hope everything is ok now Rain.. you hear so many stories but you never ever think it will happen to you...
I always rip up everything with my name on it after someone used my bank statement to try withdraw money from my account.. I was lucky that the bank rang me and asked if I gave my details to anyone... The woman ran out before they finished talking to me...
That is bad news. Its bad enough getting arrested for something you didn't do, but then to find out some scum has stolen your identity :angry:
that is really bad news hope you are ok
stacyefc
02-06-2005, 12:58
oh my god poor you. i hope your ok you must feel like killing that person
Incognito
02-06-2005, 13:13
Poor you, what a terrible ordeal to go through. I had problems when someone took out a library ticket in my name and run up a bill of nearly £200. I got a threatening letter from them and had a devil of a job to prove my innocence. Luckily the application form they had used my old address and I had proof that I had moved since then.
This must have been an absolute nightmare for you Rain.
Another thing to look out for is the fake emails from banks. I have always been very aware of them, but last week I received a new take on the old 'our computers were down at the weekend and our files are corrupted' email.
The email looked like it came from PayPal - you know the interface that people use to pay for stuff on ebay.
It was in the form of a receipt, for nearly £2000!. It looked really realistic, and I was really worried that someone had hacked into my payPal account. If I had followed the links then i would have had to sign in thereby giving my PayPal details to whoever had set up the scam! they could then have charged purchases to my cc.
Luckily I have online banking and was able to check seperately that no money had been charged to my card, and I realised it was a scam.
Thank you all for your kind words, i posted this more as a warning than anything else....i'd hate it to happen to any of you on here but it just shows how easily it can be done
Reading that, I think its time to get a shredder
.:SpIcYsPy:.
02-06-2005, 22:44
Told my dad about this. I really want a shredder... good excuse :p
This must have been an absolute nightmare for you Rain.
Another thing to look out for is the fake emails from banks. I have always been very aware of them, but last week I received a new take on the old 'our computers were down at the weekend and our files are corrupted' email.
The email looked like it came from PayPal - you know the interface that people use to pay for stuff on ebay.
It was in the form of a receipt, for nearly £2000!. It looked really realistic, and I was really worried that someone had hacked into my payPal account. If I had followed the links then i would have had to sign in thereby giving my PayPal details to whoever had set up the scam! they could then have charged purchases to my cc.
Luckily I have online banking and was able to check seperately that no money had been charged to my card, and I realised it was a scam.
At work we receive loads of thoes e-mails from banks etc getting you to reveal your details.
Also beware, if some-one e-mails you to say you've won a competition you havent entered, chances are you havent!!
never reveal your internet banking details online or by telephone, your bank will never ask you for your password.
Behemoth
02-06-2005, 22:51
At work we receive loads of thoes e-mails from banks etc getting you to reveal your details.
Also beware, if some-one e-mails you to say you've won a competition you havent entered, chances are you havent!!
never reveal your internet banking details online or by telephone, your bank will never ask you for your password. Definatley. Your bank will NEVER ask you for your PIN or internet banking password under any circumstances.
Definatley. Your bank will NEVER ask you for your PIN or internet banking password under any circumstances.
Ever!
The email looked like it came from PayPal - you know the interface that people use to pay for stuff on ebay.
It was in the form of a receipt, for nearly £2000!. It looked really realistic, and I was really worried that someone had hacked into my payPal account. If I had followed the links then i would have had to sign in thereby giving my PayPal details to whoever had set up the scam! they could then have charged purchases to my cc.
.
There was a major virus a while back sending stuff to people from Paypal accounts... I even got one and I have never ever been on ebay...
I think I was so worried because I do buy stuff off ebay and I do have a paypal account. The thing that really got me was what the receipt said I had bought - I don't think that I can say it on a board that is frequented by kids! My first instinct was to follow the link, but i phoned my husband first and he checked the ebay account from his pc, too.
I think I was so worried because I do buy stuff off ebay and I do have a paypal account. The thing that really got me was what the receipt said I had bought - I don't think that I can say it on a board that is frequented by kids! My first instinct was to follow the link, but i phoned my husband first and he checked the ebay account from his pc, too.
I can only imagine what it said you bought and most people would pay out of embarrasment or because they think their partners/kid have bought something they shouldn't have....
Incognito
03-06-2005, 10:52
There are so many scams going around. The holiday competition won is a scam as my friend got told she had won a holiday through a free draw. It wasn't a free holiday though as there was cons attached to it. :wall:
Here's a popular scam involving ebay:
seller genuinely lists a product
buyer bids and wins
buyer pays via paypal
seller thinks cool, sends the item out
buyer complains to paypal that his account was hacked
paypal immediately reverse the payment
Scam complete, seller left out of pocket
The worst thing is, by the time paypal get around to investigating, the buyer is long gone. There's been accusations that paypal aren't even bothering to check up on this fraud. There's a site out there called paypal sucks or something similar, which lists all the underhand things they do.
There are so many scams going around. The holiday competition won is a scam as my friend got told she had won a holiday through a free draw. It wasn't a free holiday though as there was cons attached to it. :wall: I had a call yesterday from a recorded voice saying hi I am niki and you have won a wonderful holiday....I hung up.What I would like to know is how do these people get your number I am ex directory
I would never Buy anything off Ebay
I had a call yesterday from a recorded voice saying hi I am niki and you have won a wonderful holiday....I hung up.What I would like to know is how do these people get your number I am ex directory
i get them all the time really Annoying try searching google for Icstis they are the phone Regulaters they may be able to help
i get them all the time really Annoying try searching google for Icstis they are the phone Regulaters they may be able to help Thanks for that I will give it a search,it is so annoying that these people can get your number,also my husband is disabled and takes a long time to get to the phone, just to be annoyed by a promotion con. :wall:
You can go on a the telephone preference register. We used to get about 3-4 call a night people trying to sell us things, now we dont get any it works wonders!!!
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/
You can also do it for your mobile as well
I think I was so worried because I do buy stuff off ebay and I do have a paypal account. The thing that really got me was what the receipt said I had bought - I don't think that I can say it on a board that is frequented by kids! My first instinct was to follow the link, but i phoned my husband first and he checked the ebay account from his pc, too.
Trinity I had exactly the same thing recently and like you have a paypal account and was mortified when I saw a receipt for something like £1700 and again, like you, cant repeat on here what it said I'd bought!!! I emailed paypal and they confirmed it was a hoax and not from them, they ask that you forward these things on to them at
[email protected] but its awful the things that people will do these days.
I would never Buy anything off Ebay
I've bought quite a few things off it over a few years and not had any problems BUT having said that I spend just a few pounds at a time, I would never ever spend any significant amount of money on there.
I've bought quite a few things off it over a few years and not had any problems BUT having said that I spend just a few pounds at a time, I would never ever spend any significant amount of money on there.
the reason why i won't buy anything of Ebay is cause there is people trying to Scam people out of ther money rather shop on HMV
I have bought some quite expensive Poole pottery and also a v. expensive fender stratocastor guitar with no problems...
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