So I got a business postcard in my mailbox today. It was from WorldCom Wireless, a company I’d never even heard of, and was originally addressed to an address that I lived in for two months last summer (during which time I bought my only, and current, cell phone from AT&T). Here’s the text of the postcard:
Okay, a couple of things:
At this point, no money has been debited from my account.
At no point have I authorized any company to debit money from my checking account…ever.
And certainly not WorldCom Wireless.
Who I’ve never heard of.
The AT&T cell phone I have now is the only one I’ve ever owned.
It’s been kept in reasonably good standing; I was late with a payment one month, but I took care of it immediately.
At no point have I accrued anything like a $767.11 charge, from AT&T or anyone else.
At no point have I made a “recent payment towards my WorldCom Wireless account.”
I don’t have a WorldCom Wireless account.
Because I’ve never heard of them.
So, obviously I gave them a call as soon as I could. I spoke to a really nice woman, who told me a) my name was nowhere to be found in their database; b) they didn’t have the power to electronically debit money from my checking account; and that c) I should just disregard the whole thing.
Which is advice I’d like to take, except the whole thing has kinda scared the crap out of me. I’m going to call my bank tomorrow and brave the hour and a half that I’ll be on hold, to tell them not to allow any debits like this. I’ll also call WorldCom Wireless again tomorrow and speak with a different person, to see if they say the same thing. Other than that, what can I/should I do? Is this a scam? A bizarre misunderstanding? Anyone had something similar happen to them?
Talk to the bank, definitely, make SURE they don’t pay this.
I’d guess that your account number is very close to some other poor mope’s number, and that it isn’t an actual scam, but just a computer hiccup. And talk to WorldCam again, and make a note somewhere of exactly who you talk to, and the date and time.
A couple of years ago I received a notification of payment from Blue Cross/Blue Shield for somebody in Michigan I’d never heard of, and after spending a certain amount of time on the phone with BC/BS of Michigan, we managed to establish that it was a computer hiccup, “ignore it”, and I never heard anything more.
I’d never heard of WorldCom Wireless, but do a search on Google groups (Usenet) for the name: there are hoards of posts criticizing this company - no-one seems to have a good word to say about them.
Maybe you could send a copy of this phoney bill to your bank, together with a registered letter (notarized?) saying that you dispute owing this company a penny or ever having any kind of business relationship with them. Then if things get ugly at least you will have that as proof of your own good faith.
Presumably the card gives details of the receiving account for the debit; I’d be tempted to investigate it and find out if it really is WorldCom - sounds like a scam to me.
Mangetout and k2dave: Nope and nope. You kidding me? The only thing the card said is what I posted; I wouldn’t be bothering the Teeming Millions about a scam as obvious as that.
They’re hapless idiots. I’m currently embroiled in a cell phone dispute with them. I had a past due payment on a cell acct.–but I closed the acct., then paid it in full some time later. In fact, I CALLED THEM and authorized the automatic debit from my checking acct.
That was, oh, three years ago.
A month ago, I received a letter from a collection agency. Called them to raise hell, and it turned out THEY didn’t even have my collection acct. in their records. This week, I just got another call from a different collection agency, and now I’ll probably have to call up my old bank (I no longer have an acct. there) and request all of my old statements.
In short:
Worldcom is incompetent
Good luck getting through on the phone to them; schedule a few hours
Don’t believe anything their service reps say. They WILL lose all record of your conversation. I don’t envy your coming ordeal. Disregard the notice, but expect them to send you something else in a year.
Worldcom is not in the wireless business; they’re in the wireless resale business. They do not own a network of any kind. Their new CEO is selling the wireless resale division; and there’s all kinds of job-keeping shenanigans going on right now, and no growth in customer service. They’re probably busy inflating their numbers (with scams like your card), so as to make a more attractive sales package.
Mmkay, but here’s my question: I haven’t given authorization for them do electronically debit my account. In fact, I’ve never given my checking account number out to any business.
Given that, is it nevertheless possible for them to debit money from my checking account? If so, how? Just sending me a postcard isn’t going to suffice as far as my authorization goes; don’t they have to have something that actually shows that I authorized a transfer?
I mean, if my checking account number is floating around out there in companies’ databases such that anyone can even plausibly claim that I authorized a transfer, then I’ve got a hell of a lot more to worry about than one little postcard.
of time on the phone with BC/BS of Michigan, we managed to establish that it was a computer hiccup, “ignore it”, and I never heard anything more.