Tuesday, January 20, 2009

What my deal was

As you know, I changed my blog address slightly because one could google my name and get to my blog and I just did not want that. I did not want to post anything until I took the time to clear that up. That's why I pretty much disappeared.

Why was I so paranoid about people finding me through google? Well, here is the deal...

A few weeks ago, back on Decemeber 26th, someone signed me up for 9 bizarre products or I don't even know what to call them. It is a whole scam thing. There are these weird things in which you can sign up for a "free thing" (which I DID NOT do) like some weird acai berry supplements or getting rich with g**gle or getting govt. grants...all sorts of weird stuff. They sign you up, charge you a small amount for shipping then charge your credit card every month for like $89 dollars. Someone actually used my credit card (well, my debit card, but there is good news to this) and signed me up for these things. I have more than one bank account. One has money in it (well Tom's check gets put in there so money is in there until the bills are paid) and one account has about $100 in it. I never use that account so when I was checking my balances on my bank's website and saw that $60 or so was taken out of the account, I was concerned. I called the bank, they put a block on the account and gave me the names of some of the charges. I also started to receive packages in the mail from these companies (because according to them if I receive it then I can't dispute it and apparently there is some "contract" for the monthly charges. I know, it does not seem to make sense. Especially since I did NOT even sign up for any of this.) It was kind of embarrassing. I know my mailman. This is a small town. He must have thought I was like some kind of dumb-ass buying all of these weird magical weight loss pills or "get rich quick" programs. 

I also started to get a million calls from these "companies". Now I have caller ID so I usually do not answer these type of calls, but I had to in order to cancel these things. Then I would find out that these companies automatically signed me up for other services. Are you following? It was fucking bizarre. 

The creepy thing is that they had all of my information, a phony email AND my debit card number. How did they have this? I used this card once at Target in November and once in September at a website where I bought some Kiss My Face products, but they mainly sell vitamin type stuff. I think that my info was sold or captured through this place. Really, it doesn't matter. It happened and I am thankful that I have been able to start to clean up this all before it got worse. If it was my regular debit card, I would have been screwed. I don't carry cash anywhere. I use that thing for everything.

So my bank issued me a new card, sent me paperwork to fill out an affadavit regarding these scam companies and I had to send back all of the weird-ass stuff I received with delivery confirmation (which cost me $40.) The problem is that I actually received these products. I don't care about the money I am out. It is the fact that someone did this and these "contracts" that I may be "bound" to. I know...you are thinking "But you did not sign any contracts!" 

I just did not want my name out there with the blog. I started thinking of certain people in town getting a hold of the blog and I did not want that. I actually thought at one point that maybe someone I know did this to me. Not likely, but still...I was a bit paranoid. Not that I say anything that would offend anyone, but I just felt violated with the whole product-scam thing. 

Hey, there are people in my town I have googled and I would have totally bookmarked their blog if one showed up. I am nosy like that. So why wouldn't someone do that to me? 

I just wanted to get this down so it may not make a whole lot of sense. I just want to be done with it all. It was annoying, but really could have been a whole lot worse.

5 comments:

Mrs Furious said...

Now that is crazy. CRAZY.
This seems like it would have been easier to resolve if it had been a credit card and not a debit card.

You couldn't google me for jack until I joined Facebook a couple months ago. I never thought about that but now I come right up.

Robin said...

That is scary!

Mrs. F - precisely why I don't join facebook (even though all my friends tell me how great it is.) I don't want random people finding me.

Mrs Furious said...

Robin,
It has been a mistake. Tons of blog people (who shouldn't have known my real name... now do and my address, etc.) found me. I have found/been found by 2 old close friends but that's all. I try not to be over there, I just can't update the blog and the FB, and I don't friend anyone. I should just take it down but I don't want to seem rude!

Julie said...

Mrs F, how did the blog people find you? Do you have your blog listed on the FB page? That totally sucks.

Heather said...

Mrs F -- interesante about FB. I think if you don't want to be on there, you should take it down. It DOES show up right away on google, but you can adjust the privacy settings so potential lurkers can't see anything.

Me, I love me some FB. I'm on there all the livelong day.