girls gone wild? forgive me i don't mean to make light of this crime, but it almost sounds as if a kid's prank, doesn't it? do you have any kids who've had friends over?

It's a great idea to check all your credit or banking accounts online every day or two. It makes it much harder for anyone to use your existing accts past the first time. Kids like to order stuff with parent's cards because they might have easy access to them and the computer. If they can catch the mail and you don't know that something was delivered, they'll deny it forever. If an outsider stole your card, it's not likely, but possible that things would be mailed to your own address unless it's a neighbor's kid who thought they could pull it off. There is much good info to be found in mailboxes. Just think, when you write a check with your address, phone number, checking acct number, and possibly driver's license number, and put it in an envelope with a credit card bill, with your account number, place it in your mailbox for pickup, and send up a red flag for all the world to know that's it's likely they'll find some good stuff if they grab your mail. Outgoing mail should be mailed at the post office or handed to the carrier. If this were me, I would get online and check my credit reports right away. You can't know if any other accts. have been opened in your name without checking there.

It's a good idea to go to your local police station with the evidence, and have them write a police report on this theft. If someone has your identity and commits a larger crime or skips out on bail, you can be arrested for it. The burden is then yours to prove that it wasn't you. This theft can get much more serious than a few videos showing up in the mailbox.

Here's the website of Clark Howard. He's on top of all sorts of money scams and has a lot of useful info for anyone with a fraud type problem. He's a radio and television consumer advocate and doesn't charge for any help. Most of the needed info is right on the website. Hope some of this helps. Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Clark Howard's website

It does sound like a kid's prank to me as well. There were also some charges to Disney videos too.

I am positive my girls wouldn't have done this. However my older one has a few new friends that have been over playing Rock Band that I really don't know. They would've had to get into my purse and write down the #'s and put the card back in... I suppose it is possible.

Thanks for the info Linda - it is very helpful! I am going to check out the credit bureaus tonight after work, and I will also pull up all my credit cards to double check them.

I pay all my bills online, so I rarely have to send a check in the mail.

I will also be checking out the link you sent when I get home tonight as well.

Thanks so much!

I wish whoever it was would get caught the next time they try to use it. But I guess that probably won't happen. I'm just so curious as to who's doing this and how they got my info.

Sher

don't think because something is in your purse, some kid wouldn't go thru it...just be more aware when strangers are visiting...stranger danger can come in all shapes and sizes...and ages...i'd also put some restrictions on your kids as to where they entertain...(ie putting your purse in the bedroom, that room is off limits)

sadly my cousin did it all the time when he was a kid to his mother...(thank goodness he's grown up to become a very responsible adult! we had our doubts, lol)

We had credit card theft for a computer store we legally bought something, because the person made a copy of our numbers? You mention pet surgery? Even though you "trust" your vet, remember people are having a rough time now and anyone can do anything. Just quietly check with your vet, not their staff.
Also treat it as if someone did steal it. Report it to all three credit bureaus and yes file a police report. Sorry to say people--adults and kids--sometimes do dumb things.

One of my stepson's friends did something similar, when they were teenagers. He called 1-900 numbers and billed the calls to the credit card # he'd written down. Unfortunately for him, I worked for the phone company. I had the calls tracked to the phone they were made from, and then notified his parents. The bill was around $600.