The identity thief

The identity thief 

I used to be one of those people who never thought that my identity could be stolen. When I watched TV commercials about identity theft I used to think it was for people who weren’t careful with their personal information, but I was wrong. I see now that identity theft is real and happens everywhere. I know understand it much more, being that this recently happened to me.

If you are a single parent or someone with lots of responsibilities you will understand that taking care of everything isn’t easy at all. We juggle a lot and try to do our best in all areas, but sometimes it’s not possible and you miss important things. I am someone who is a very careful and cautious person. Along with my other responsibilities I manage my finances as well. But in reality it’s not easy to see where you are spending every single penny. Unless, at the end of each month, before you pay your bills, you sit down and do your own math and then make the payments. That requires time and energy, something many of us don’t have.

I have been using my American Express card for more than a decade and have never had a problem with it. I use that card a lot so I can earn points. With my life style I never pay full attention on each item, I do my own math before I make payments but only with a quick glance. My eyes mostly go to the big numbers. Three months ago, my daughter moved out so I got some extra time. As many of you know when you are busy, you don’t have time to think about anything extra but as soon as you get a break your attention goes to the small things that may have slipped your mind before.

During my winter break, I paid more attention to the bills and noticed that there was a charge on my card. I thought my daughter must have bought something, so I just had to make the payment.  The following month, I didn’t use that card at all but received the charge again. I called my daughter and asked her what she was buying each month for the same amount. She said, “Mom, I don’t use the American Express card at all. The last time I used it was when I was with you in Illinois”.  That made me very concerned. Right a way I called American Express and asked about the charge. They told me that it was a, “electronic payment setup”. She then asked, “You don’t remember setting it up? I said, “No, I have never done any electronic payment setup”. Then I asked her where my money is going she said, the company name is Experian and it’s not in Illinois. At this point I was feeling very stressed and worried. I have never heard about this company name before. She then told me this company checks credit each month. She told that they have been charging me for the last six months.

 I started feeling really nervous. Someone has been using my card for the last six months and I had no clue about it. I was getting upset at myself. The fraud department lady was very nice. She told me that she was canceling my card and in two days I would get a new card along with all of my credit for the past 6 months.

The next morning I called the company “Experian” and asked where they got my information. They told me they had my card information but in a different name. A name I have never heard of. After I told them it wasn’t me, they canceled that account and also offered the entire amount that had been charged on my card. I wasn’t very concerned about the money but rather about the identity theft.

I never thought this could happen to me. I am very careful about providing my personal information and never thought someone could get it. Please be careful and learn from my experience. When you get your credit card bill check it twice, and make sure the charges are correct. I made a mistake not taking the time to go over each charge. Don’t take identity theft lightly it’s real and is happening to many people.