This credit card and identity theft has been almost a daily problem with my family and business.
About two years ago the gas station I used for 40 years took my credit card in their back room and made a copy of the card. I knew something was suspicious and told the attendant that I was going to call the police at the time he swiped the card because the attendant turned my gas pump off two times. It was 4 in the morning and I was going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas so I didn't call the police, but 3 days later I got a call from my credit card company and someone purchased four $250 gift certificates plus another purchase at one Target store. I call the police and Exxon, but nobody cares.
A few months ago, my bank called me and said a Hispanic woman in Sacramento was opening a bank account and several charge accounts at stores with my 14-year old son's social security number. Again, nobody cares and because he is a minor there is absolutely nothing anybody wants to do.
Just two days ago, I received a call from my credit card company and someone is using my credit card in Florida. My most recent credit card purchase was flowers.com and I'm thinking that one of their employee must have used my credit card information.
A few years ago, someone made checks identical to my paychecks. You can do this by purchasing blank checks and $10 software. The checks were so perfect nobody could tell the originals from the fakes. Three people were involved and they cashed $8,000 worth of checks. All three were arrested and the police only took only one person to court. The court dismissed the case because the judge said nobody witnessed the criminal actually forging my name on the checks and all he had to say in court was he did not sign the checks and he was only cashing them.
In the past forty years I've had about 6 incidents where people either stole blank checks from my office, or they actually had legitimate checks I gave them, they crossed out the numbers and liquor stores cashed the checks for much higher amounts. Currently, I don't give most of my employees their paychecks. I write the checks and deliver most (not all) of the paychecks to a check cashing store. Most of my employees get paid with cash without having the ability to make copies nor alter their paychecks. It makes it easier to pay employees this way because employees come into my office at all different times of the day, during the evening and I don't have to be bothered every time an employee wants his paycheck.
Now, my credit card companies turn off my credit cards almost every day. Yesterday, I had to call my credit card company three times to be able to make purchases. This angers me every time, but I can see the need to be safe because I see just about everyone I know having identity and credit card theft problems. Someone has to invent a system that is theft-proof.
