
Frost by Bertha Boynton Lum (1869-1954), c. 1920. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, LOC #LC-DIG-ppmsca-10484.
Photo credit: http://store.tidbitstrinkets.com/blog/
As I was writing my blog, I looked at my last Credit Card statement and noticed that I had been billed for money obtained fraudulently. I phoned the Credit Card company and was told I had been reimbursed that money after they sent their invoice. However, they told me that they had made a payment to my PayPal account. I do not have a PayPal account so this account was opened by someone else. The Credit Card company asked me to destroy my brand new Credit Card and said they would retrieve that money.
In the meantime, I had contacted PayPal to open a PayPal account. They confirmed I had an account, the account I never opened. Yes there had been activity, but they would fix this. But they did not tell me they had billed my now disabled Credit Card, I cannot open an account with them until my computer has been scanned.
In other words I do not have
- a Credit Card, temporarily, nor do I have,
- a PayPal account.
Here are the tricks used to try to defraud me:
1) They disabled my computer,
- made me believe they were Microsoft employees;
- showed thousands of viruses;
- and told me they could fix the problem for x amount of money.
- They installed AVG at ten times the cost of AVG.
Then someone else phoned and told me my computer was full of viruses and that the people who had phoned me had defrauded me. They too posed as Microsoft employees, with photo ID.
I could smell a rat and phoned the Credit Card company immediately. My card was cancelled and I received a new one about two weeks later.
2) A sense of guilt and harassment: they will not stop phoning.
I then received another phone call from the people who defrauded me the first time and was told I had to pay for the AVG protection they had installed. I told them to take it away, but they said they could not do this. So I hung up, but they kept phoning and phoning. It turned into harassment.
In the end, they told me I would be charged a lower amount of money and they asked me if I had a PayPal account. I told them I didn’t. I therefore suspect, they created the PayPal account at that very moment.
The Credit Card people have experts who can deal with this, so I will get my money back. However, I had to destroy my new Credit Card.
THE ADVICE
This is the advice I was given.
- If someone tells me my computer is disabled, contact someone I trust to have it fixed, if indeed it needs to be fixed.
- Do not use a Credit Card to pay for anything purchased on the Internet.
- Phone the police if someone is manipulating me and harassing me.
THE SEQUEL
AVG is now messing up with my computer. I’m getting alert pop-ups that I can’t close. So
- how do I get rid of AVG and
- how do I pay WordPress? My beloved WordPress would not accept my Credit Card when I had a valid one and now it could be two weeks before I receive a new Credit Card.
- Doesn’t WordPress have a contact person or a phone number.
- I also learned that PayPal was not as safe as a Credit Card. Credit Card companies hire experts and you have to authorize a payment. In a sense, they fell into a trap.
CONCLUSION
I do not know how to get in touch with WordPress and may not be able to blog for about two weeks. And I do not want a PayPal account. Not only did I not have an account, but I did not authorize the payment(s) they made.
We will therefore listen and look at Japonaiserie.
Micheline Walker© October 19th, 2012 WordPress
I’m so sorry this has happened to you, Micheline. As I mentioned some time ago, I too have had these phone calls. I do not entertain them; I merely hang up…
Hopefully, you will have this all sorted soon….
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Thank you Carolyn, The matter will be resolved. In fact, it has been resolved. The best advice I got was to phone the police. Harassment (and anger) will break me. So, I must seek support immediately and not feel ashamed about it. They would not have kept on phoning if I had said before hanging up that I was calling the police. My blog on the Social Contract tells that story. I have used the police once before, in another context, and must learn to do it again. Many thanks, Micheline
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Absolutely seek support, Micheline. I happy for you that it has/is being resolved…
I do hope your weekend is more enjoyable…
Carolyn
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Thank you Carolyn for both your messages. You have expressed kindness and concern. Sometimes, one has to recognize one’s vulnerable points. I am very touched. My WordPress colleagues have become my community. Love, Micheline .
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xoxoxo
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Thank you Carolyn. You are truly kind. Micheline
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It is extremely frustrating dealing with issues of fraud. Thank you so much for sharing your situation – it will help the rest of us to be ever more vigilant.
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When something of this kind happens, one must talk. I have had no pop-ups from AVG since I posted my little article. And they know that I will be going to the police. Best regards, Micheline
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This is terrible, Micheline. I’m so sorry. I’d print all exchanges you’ve ever had with these people and start compiling a dossier. I don’t know whether your city has a small claims court, but even if it did, open a case with them and go to the FBI.
Inquire about local laws concerning recording your calls; some cities require the caller to be notified about it, although in this situation, it’d be only on their benefit. Install a machine on your phone and screen calls, to avoid further harassment. Obviously, you may need new CCs and also alert your bank branch for any suspicious transactions on your account.
Go to the general WordPress site and find some kind of support contact you can at least inform them about, though I’m not sure how they can help you apart from ‘securing’ your blog’s content in their cloud.
I hope it doesn’t come to this, but if further down the road you may need to ‘clean’ your HD (by an authorized company, obviously. We have TekServe and few others here), you should back up all your data right now. Again, I’m really sorry and hope you come back to the fray, because we’ll all miss your wonderful posts. Keep us posted; just your narrative and fact-timeline are worth reading your blog. Good luck.
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Thank you Wesley. I’ll be fine. I saw something suspicious in CC statement and phoned them. That’s how I discovered that someone had opened a PayPal account in my name. The Credit Card people will fix the problem and I will not have lost a penny. However, they made me destroy my Credit Card. But I am also getting a new telephone number (unlisted). I will only have caller ID phones. My blog has become Micheline’s Blog. As things stand, anyone can get my phone number on the Internet if they have my name and know where I live. I’m having to act as though I were a celebrity. At any rate, I phoned my CC company in the nick of time. They didn’t know I did not have a PayPal account and that I had been billed fraudulently, So they will retrieve that money. I also talked with PayPal. That fraudulent account does not exist anymore.
Writing a blog about my experience may have helped. I was getting constant pop-up alerts from AVG telling me that I had to purchase a program. That stopped. That would have been extortion. Besides, they’re not going to be very happy with the people who used them as a front. I truly pity the next person who tries to separate me from my money. The CC card people told me that the police could intervene.
On another note, I have been re-reading Thomas Hobbes. Mitt Romney would be Hobbes “glory” man, the worst. Hobbes also talks about war as a constant feature. It may lay dormant, but it comes back… Romney has already talked with the Israel. My mind is racing.
I thank you for your kind thoughts.
Hugs,
Micheline
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Miheline, my dear, I’m so sorry for this unpleasant situation you went through! It’s so worrying when there is such a fraud! Silence is so that should you lose your faith in people. I never paid the frame of the internet because I lost confidence.
I hope with all my heart to resolve this situation as soon as possible!
Have a wonderful Sunday, dear Miheline! Be blessed! Big hugs always with love, Stefania! 🙂
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Don’t worry Stefania, it will resolve itself. The Credit Card companies have experts working for them. Cyber-crime is becoming a serious problem.
Again: Big Hugs and lots of love, Micheline
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I just read your article on They may seem honest, but… « Micheline’s Blog and want to thank you for it.
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Internet thieves are clever. They are a genuine threat, particularly to older citizens. I thank you for your comment. MW
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