identity theft...Didn't need this

Elshack

I thought I was at the end of my rope taking care of my DH but no ...more problems! Got a notice from Paypal that someone ordered $ 660.00 worth and used my account. There was a number to call and long stort short, I gave them alot of personal info and ends up they are scammers so now my identity is stolen. I have spent HOURS trying to contact bank etc. but I am very depressed about this whole situation. Remember if you receive an email and it warns you that someone used your account do not respond. I should have waited until it showed up on my credit card and then contacted the c card company.

I truly thought I was losing it yesterday with all this and doing my caretaking. I need some sympathetic hugs for sure.

Cherjer

I am so very sorry this happened to you. We are so vulnerable especially when our mind is on caring for our LO  and this happens. I do hope you get everything worked out and know it can be a nightmare. Karma will take care of these scammers.

Stuck in the middle

Hugs for you, Elshack.  Sorry those miscreants got to you.

They tell us to look up the customer service number rather than call the number in the message, but I guess you know that now.  I'm saying this for the benefit of others who read this.

Rick4407

About 5-6 years ago I froze my credit with all 3 agencies.  It can be unfrozen if needed but it stopped unsolicited CC offers and gives me some peace of mind.  I would recommend it for caregivers whose loved ones are still capable of answering the telephone.  You would need to do both people in the marriage.  Rick

Donr

As Rick suggested, call the 3 credit agencies and have them freeze your accounts. This should keep them from applying for credit cards. I went through the problem around 6 years ago and it took me 10 months to put out all of the brush fires.

Ed1937

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Yesterday I received one from Amazon thanking me for an order over a $1500.00, with a number to call if I didn't order it. I did not respond. There are simply too many scammers out there. No matter how legitimate it looks, we just can't take a chance like that. I hope you can get it taken care of swiftly.

White Crane

I am so sorry this has happened to you!  Sending big hugs.

I get those emails sometimes but never open them.  My sister almost lost a large sum of money a couple of years ago to scammers.  Thankfully, she was able to stop them from stealing from her. 

toolbeltexpert

Elshack so sorry, those lousy people who are always preying on anyone they can get. You are not alone either,they may not get you one way but they never quit. I have been biten on ebay,2 times. Sounds like you got it early, do a credit check to see if any new requests have been made. If you haven't freeze your credit. I did not hard at all. Sending you the hugs that bring healing.

M1

Elshack thank you for the timely reminder; I haven't seen any specific scams like this but I can imagine falling for it, especially when you're distracted/busy with other things.  Appreciate the heads up but sorry it was at your expense.  I do think freezing your credit is a good idea--ours has both been frozen since a travel incident three years ago (though GrubHub actually).

Rescue mom

Ed, you were so right not to call. And everyone beware. Those Amazon scams are incredibly realistic, exactly like real Amazon notices. A couple of the first ones I got were SO realistic, even though I was 98 percent sure I didn’t order.. I even called Amazon—NOT the number on the notice, but number I already had—and yes, it’s a scam. 

But if you call the number they give you, or god forbid follow links, you’re in for it. Never call the number they provide. It’s especially hard for us caregivers, one more thing to look for and beware of. But the scammers don’t quit.

Elshack, I feel so badly for you caught in this. But thank you for telling us; it may at least help someone else avoid problems. I hope things are under control better now.

These things are infuriating. They prey on peoples trust. Nobody seems able to fight it since the scammers are mostly international. And we caregivers are already tired…

Buggsroo

Elshack,

I like to think there is a special place in hell for scammers. I got caught out one time with a notice from the post office saying I needed to pay a small fee to get a parcel delivered. I used the Amex card, then realized that it may have been a scam. I phoned the post office and they confirmed it. I phoned Amex and told them what happened. They cancelled the card and issued me with a new one. Luckily I was able to put a stop to it.

These scams are very sophisticated, I love the ones with dodgy spelling and grammar. I also check the address which should contain https// in it. Any variation of that means it is a scam. Up here in Canada, we get scams about taxes and whatnot. I have refused to purchase on Amazon because there are so many scams about that. PayPal is pretty good with getting stuff sorted. I am sorry this has happened to you.

Elshack

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words of encouragement. I have notified the 3 credit agencies and froze info for a year and the credit card company etc. but I will go to the bank tomorrow as I had them freeze my account over the weekend. The scary past was the number I called was not answered and just when I was looking up the paypal number, my phone rang and the person pretended they were from Paypal. They were adamant that the only way they could clear the cost was after I downloaded some sites and gave then alot of personal info.

Luckily I have a nephew who is an IT person so he is remotely scanning my computer and also giving me good advice. I have changed many passwords but this has been almost the final straw that broke the camel's back. I haven't cried this much since my DH had brain surgery 3 + years ago.

piozam13

This happened to me too.  Luckily I lost only 100 dollars before I was scammed for a big amount.  This was some guy trying to help with security of my credit card that I went along with his instructions.  When I called my credit card company, they immediately cancelled my card and re-issued a new number.  Scammers are everywhere - computers, phone, mailbox.