‘I didn’t order an Apple laptop’

 “A scam is a scam. A fraud is a fraud. Different rules don't apply in the City than they do for you and me.”

—Emily Thornberry

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

A FEMALE Filipino-American friend from New Jersey and a visiting physician from Sorsogon became the latest victims of online scam or credit card fraud here in the United States.

I actually learned about the predicament of Angelica (not her real name), the Fil-Am, after visiting the Bank of America (BofA) branch on 3^rd Avenue and 59^th Street in Midtown Manhattan September 27 to file my own complaint regarding my own case.

Bacolod-born Angelica, 51, who read my article about the unauthorized use of my BofA debit card on Saturday, immediately contacted me to report that her credit card was also used in a fraudulent transaction involving the purchase of a brand new Apple Macbook laptop in Michigan.

“I lost $1,600 in that scam,” bewailed Angelica. “A scammer who hacked my credit card was able to purchase the item in a place I have never been to.”

Angelica swore “I didn’t order an Apple laptop” (even) online.

She uses a laptop for business and otherwise but not an Apple product, Angelica confirmed.

She didn’t indicate which bank or credit company her card belonged.

Another friend, a physician who arrived in New York two months ago, lost $1,378 in her credit card after a scammer used it to purchase a brand new TV set in Seattle.

“It’s really pure and simple scam because I am here in New York and the transaction occurred in Seattle which is miles away,” protested the female physician, who is now in Washington D.C.

 

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Going back to my own case where I “lost” only $104.94 from two unauthorized online transactions evening on September 25, BofA officer for Small Business Consultant Jamie Bernstein handled my case.

Mr. Bernstein confirmed that the bank had “locked” my account to prevent further unauthorized activity after the fraud was monitored and the bank’s alert monitoring system alerted me that night.

He said a new debit card would be sent to me by mail this week.

While the new card hasn’t yet arrived, I couldn’t use my old card to make a deposit or withdrawal, I was informed right there inside the BofA branch.

Mr. Bernstein asked me to wait for the new card and refrain from using the old one because I could no longer use it in any ATM machine anywhere in the United States.

Fair enough and logical although I found it inconvenient to keep or carry checks and cash, which I don’t normally do, in my wallet this week. 

 

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The credit card industry has always been targeted by hackers and thieves, disclosed Holly D. Johnson of Bankrate.

Unfortunately, she stressed, the most common scams have changed right along with technology. 

According to a 2020 identity theft study from Javelin Research, scammers have mostly graduated from counterfeiting credit cards to more significant crimes like identity theft and savings account takeover, reported Johnson.

She warned further the next year could even bring about even more complicated scams like synthetic identity fraud and takeovers of investment accounts instead of just checking and savings accounts.

“While nobody knows for sure what the future holds, it’s safe to say financial scams cause headaches and financial losses, and will likely continue doing so for years to come,” Johnson emphasized.

“Still, you don’t have to be a victim if you’re careful. The experts at Javelin Research say a large part of reducing fraud is making sure consumers adopt safer methods to protect their sensitive data while they manage their finances. To help in that respect, read on to learn more about some of the biggest credit card scams to watch out for in 2021, as well as how you can protect yourself.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)