Monday, December 8, 2008

OutOfTheWoods

I am exhausted. I have spent the last 24 hours straight, trying to salvage my identity.
Some clowns from Saudi Arabia have been trying to clean out my Paypal account. And if I didn't know any better, I swear Paypal was trying to help them. Last night I was checking my email and when I opened the in-box there were like 4-5 transaction notifications from them. I was shocked. I had not used that account in months! Anyway, I called them up and it takes some real vigilance to speak to a real fucking human being over there. In the time that I waited to talk to some guy another 2-3 notifications of transactions came on the screen. Then, suddenly all of them just disappeared from my inbox. Poof! When I finally spoke to some guy he told me there were records of these transactions but we talked about changing my password and taking my credit card off of my account. I went to sleep finally after dialing a half a dozen other 1-800 numbers and listening to more than any one's fair share of Muzak, I thought I had finally gotten things resolved...
But in the middle of the night I get up and I couldn't even believe it, there are like 8-9 notifications of new transactions and Paypal is closed for the evening. It turns out they have customer service people that need to sleep. Their customer service is CLOSED after 8 pm CST.
I was going crazy. SO in the morning I get up and I can't even open my account. Someone has changed all the personal info and my PIN number. When I finally get through to Paypal I find out that these people have accessed my personal bank account and I am up Shits Creek.

I have spent the last 14 hours running around canceling credit cards and bank account and calling the FTC and finally getting together with the NYPD. Although the cop I first talked to told me that it was my fault for banking on line..I did get to speak with the detectives. They seemed very interested with the whole Saudi connection. We found them by Googling. And this guy named Bilbiie Razvan who was to receive my money was of some concern of them too. I also got some excellent advice on SPywear blocker from a guy sitting in a jail cell next to the Detective's desk...I was told he wasn't in for anything serious.
Anyway- the best part was that I went back home and got to spend more hours on the phone with Paypal trying to figure out how my security continued to be breached even after I had issued a complaint. And when I asked for a number for the detectives to call to speak to someone in security, I was put on hold twice and finally sent along to a supervisor who promised me that I would not be paying for any of these withdrawals. We will see but I am totally fried.
I am still hoping all the Saudi's don't see a dime of my money. Particularly after my wife said that she fully expected that my stolen money would eventually be the funds needed to blow her up personally on the subway.I think this was said more out of outrage than trying to make me feel guilty, but I already have enough trouble with my self-esteem.
But one thing I did find out about myself- I may have issues with my self -esteem, but you fuck with my identity and watch out. I am one persistent motherfucker. I think I have got this thing finally under control.
DK

6 comments:

Brad Green said...

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about that. It happens so often now. Maybe we should go back to tin cans shoved under the bed.

Anonymous said...

Wow David, lucky you are one persistent bugger, I havnt checked my paypal for so long Ive forgotten the password...now Im thinking some foreign person probaby has it...

You remind me of a terrier on a rat...good on ya, but what an unneccesarry hassle for you....

Spatula said...

Holy cow, scary shiz yo.

Lorrie Veasey said...

Poor you. Does this mean you are going to forgo the lottery winners that kind man from Nigeria says he has waiting for you?

Anonymous said...

"I also got some excellent advice on SPywear blocker from a guy sitting in a jail cell next to the Detective's desk...I was told he wasn't in for anything serious."

I know identity theft is an awful experience, but... somehow this story sounds like a 21st century episode of Barney Miller.

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