How should I react to this credit card fraud?

In My Humble Opinion
1

A couple of months ago I received a call from my CC’s fraud department saying they detected fraudulent activity. Apparently someone stole my identity, moved “me” to Toronto (I live in Windsor) and went shopping. It turns out “I” like Starbucks, the Apple store, definitley the liquor store. “I” racked up about $3500 in purchases - and then PAID FOR THEM!!! (yes, the fraudster paid off all purchases!)

But my post is not about the above. After going through the process, filling out the forms, etc. my reaction was concern of course, but also mixed with, “this is kinda cool” in a perverse sort of way. I mean, the company detected the problem before I even knew there was one, fixed everything, sent me a new card - done, right?

No.

Within a month after getting the new card - with a new card number of course - I receive an email from the credit card company saying “your access cheque request of $800 is approved on your card ending in… [new card number here]” I most certainly did not make such a request - I never use those cheques they stuff into the envelopes.

So of course I call and now I’m going through the process again. They want to send me a third card but instead I want to close the account (can’t do that until the process is complete - but the card is frozen).

Now the point of my post: What should I do about all this? My concerns are along two lines:

  1. How to ensure this doesn’t happen to the other accounts. I thought I was being careful, only dealing with reputable businesses, not replying to phish, etc. I guess I could also buy a shredder to destroy those cheques (why do they bundle them when they’re apparently a security risk - is garbage bag diving really that prevalent?) What might I be missing, or is this just an inevitable risk of credit cards?

  2. (and really my real point here) What if anything should I do to nail the bastard? During the first incident where “I” moved to Toronto, I thought it was some anonymous fraudster that perhaps infiltrated a merchant’s database or perhaps even the credit card company - or some cool hacker/spy stuff. But the second incident, the fact that so soon after getting a new card someone’s writing a cheque against the new account number smells like an “inside job”.

I have no evidence for this, but perhaps a friend of one of our kids rifled through papers in my office. When I asked the CC company if I should call the police, they said only if I have specific information - they’ll quarterback the investigation. But I’m mad as hell and I want to see blood. Do I have the right to the findings of their investigation if they find out whodunnit? Can I demand status reports. I’ve heard banks aren’t always interested in catching the bad guy - only recovering the dough. Is there anything I can (or should) do to see justice and by that I mean a proper lynching?

I kid, of course, about lynching and blood - and part of me suspects the right answer is “let the authorities handle this one”. Somehow I’m just not satisfied.

2

That they paid off the cards and then got access to the new numbers suggest(s) that possibly there is a “Natures Call” sitting in Toronto wondering who the person in Windsor is that is stealing their Identity,

IOW, is it possible that the ‘other’ Natures Call is a legit person, and its the CC company that is somehow screwing this up internally (similar SS#s, or who knows what that could cause this kind of clerical error).

Last I knew, true fraudsters

  • didn’t pay stuff back
  • knew better than to double dip
3

Yes, the paying off $3500 and then trying to charge $800 suggests to me that it’s an internal screwup.

ETA: my reaction - cancel the card. You’re never going to have any confidence in their ability to keep your account straight.

4

Thanks - that it might be error and not fraud is something I hadn’t thought of. Either way, yes - I’m cancelling the card at first opportunity.

5

During round one I asked the fraud dept. agent about this. She said, “You’d be surprised” and explained it may be an attempt to shore up the success of a larger identity theft. It made sense because when the fraud dept. was trying to ascertain my identity, amongst the questions was “when and how much was your last payment?”