I wasn’t pickpocketed, not exactly, but someone got ahold of my American Express account number and tried to use it. Fortunately, AmEx spotted the fraudulent activity and sent me an e-mail right away.
Had I attempted to use my card to send a $17.75 Express Mail package with the United States Postal Service that morning? I hadn’t, so I called the number on the back of my card—NOT the number in the e-mail, just in case it was a phishing scam—and spoke with someone in the Fraud Protection division.
The rep said that someone had attempted the postal charges four or five times and had also tried to buy something for $1 at a website I’ve never heard of. That’s a big red flag! Scammers often try a micro-charge like that, and if they get away with it, they attempt bigger charges.
None of the charges went through, so I wasn’t out any money. But I still felt violated. I’d had that credit card since 1989 and strangely, I was sort of fond of it. I knew the account number by heart, and I often used it to buy things online since I didn’t have to get up and get my wallet. I could just type in the info from memory. No more.
I quickly was given a new card, with a new account number. AmEx is investigating the theft, but I suspect I’ll never know how this happened.
I do know that it’s a big pain. Now I have to give new credit-card info to a bunch of companies that auto-bill me. And I’m worried this isn’t the last of it. So I’ll be checking my credit at Annualcreditreport.com. It’s free once a year and gives you a look at your history at all three of the major credit bureaus.
It’s small comfort, but I know I’m not alone. Millions of people experience some form of identity theft every year. So what do you do? Here’s advice from our editor-in-chief, Lisa Freeman, and here are more tips from our experts and others about how to stay safe online.
Joann West
10:22:10 AM on Fri Jan 27 2012
Also report the attempted use to your local Police Department. Mine was actually used - had to notify everyone, credit reporting companies, some automatic pay accounts. AMEX was very good handling this.