EN GARDE! DANGER AHEAD!

In a recent blog, I told how some hacker got into my bank account, most likely through my debit card, and nailed me for $5000.00. I'm in the process of getting my money back, but what a pain in the butt this whole process of regaining the funds and changing all my auto payments and legitimate debit card expenses can be. Everything from social security and annuities' deposits to utilities and insurance payments by debit had to be changed. In order to change some, you need to send a voided check---and I have not yet received my new checks with my new account and routing number. I have some temporary checks from the bank with the right account number and routing number, but some of these sources need regular checks, so I'll have to wait until my new checks arrive---very soon, I hope.


I've only been home three days and already I have heard of two other people I know who have been ripped off the same way. One is a really good guy who does a lot of repair and maintenance work for me who got "had" for $3000.00. He's sorting it out now. The other makes mine look puny: the guy who services swimming pools in our neightborhood really got nailed---for $28,000, including a college tuition! I haven't seen him yet to ask, but I would think tracing that one must have been fairly easy by finding out who the student is and checking connections from there. In my own case, since the guy bought three air tickets to Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, and much of his activity was in Utah at a Krogers supermarket and HSBC, Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, the world's largest. At least, it's a start to trace him down. (I'm assuming he's a male and Arab, and Arabs usually don't let women run their finances!) I know it's not my problem now, as the bank and investigators are on it, but I'm simply curious.

We get so used to the computer and the internet that we get in a comfort zone and forget the many perils inherent in this cyberworld. There is always some crook---unfortunately, really computer-literate---who is waiting to pounce like a financial vulture on the innocent and exposed. I felt like a real dummy, but I have a lot of company.

So, my friends, be careful and cautious. We all face many dangers in this world, and computer thieves are just a new variant on an old strain.