identy fraud issue-- attention rally participants -- monitor your credit accounts

[FlorIdaho Chris]

Guys-

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I do not know if it is a coincidence, but right after the rally in SoCal, I was apparently the victim of some kind of identity theft. Some scumbag in Orange County walked into a branch of my bank with my DL# and SS# the day after the rally and opened up a new account. He changed the contact phone numbers on my account to two phone numbers also in Orange County. The dirt bag then proceeded to drain one of my accounts.

I do not recall if we had to show our DL#s at the autocross or not, does anyone know if we did?

Of course this could be just a random coincidence, or possibly the loser targeted me because he knew I had a GT and thus a dollar or two. If this later case is what happened, I may not be the only victim. I don't want to be Chicken Little here, and again it may be totally a coincidence, but if I were you and I attended the rally last month, I'd at least take a look at recent bank account activity.

[DBK/Bony- I posted in the General Discussion section hoping for the widest readership. If this post should be in the "Pit at Le Mans", please feel free to move it.]

 

[dbk]

Holy s#^%! Did they catch the person? When did we have to show our drivers license numbers? I don't recall ever doing so.

Thanks for the heads up :thumbsdow

 

[MAD IN NC]

Don't forget that your DL/ ID (is your SS# on the DL?) and CC# was shown and used to check into the Hotel. Should also look at the Fairmont.

Typically they also encrypt the info on the hotel keys - that is why I either swipe them out (Blackberry magnet works great) or what I normally do is take them with me when I leave.

 

[Spirit]

Chris,

That plain SUCKS!!

Hang The Bastard.

 

[shelbyelite]

G.D. SCAMMERS! Gotta love a guy that works hard to steal other peoples money when they could put forth that effort and work a real job with respectable income!

 

[ROCMAN]

Guys-

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I do not know if it is a coincidence, but right after the rally in SoCal, I was apparently the victim of some kind of identity theft. Some scumbag in Orange County walked into a branch of my bank with my DL# and SS# the day after the rally and opened up a new account. He changed the contact phone numbers on my account to two phone numbers also in Orange County. The dirt bag then proceeded to drain one of my accounts.

I do not recall if we had to show our DL#s at the autocross or not, does anyone know if we did?

Of course this could be just a random coincidence, or possibly the loser targeted me because he knew I had a GT and thus a dollar or two. If this later case is what happened, I may not be the only victim. I don't want to be Chicken Little here, and again it may be totally a coincidence, but if I were you and I attended the rally last month, I'd at least take a look at recent bank account activity.

[DBK/Bony- I posted in the General Discussion section hoping for the widest readership. If this post should be in the "Pit at Le Mans", please feel free to move it.]

Holy Sheets! That is no coincidence! You don't live out here, and it happens when you are out here at the rally. Definately some funny business going on here. Good thing you caught it when you did. There may even be an inside connection at the bank. It is not that easy to copy all that stuff good enough to open a bank account. Hope those scumbags get caught.

 

[BlackICE]

Chris, I am sorry to hear about that. I hope the bank made it right and returned your money. May the crook meet Bubba and become close friends.

I didn't show my drivers license number or SSN to anyone during the rally. I don't think that was necessary. Many times we are asked for this type of information when it isn't really needed. Doctors offices and hospitals come to mind. I always leave that information out on the forms.

I am most concerned about online banking and brokerage accounts. With personal information and or your password, an account with millions of dollars can be wired away to electronically transferred in seconds. So never keep all of your assets with one institution or you may be broke overnight! I would presume that straitening that out may take a long time.

 

[Empty Pockets]

This can/does happen anywhere/anytime.

No hotel, race track, or the like should EVER "need" - or ask for - your S.S.N. If someone in a place like that DID - there's your prime suspect, Chris.

The credit card thing has happened to me only once - and my 'Card Co called ME B4 I knew it'd happened ('same day as a matter of fact). They hadn't accepted the charges these scumbags tried to make 'cause I don't normally make 5 figure charges on my card.
To this day, I don't know the exact way they got my card number.

MAD's right about those darn hotel "card keys". I never leave 'em! I take 'em home (or wherever), cut 'em up, & toss 'em in several seperate trash bins. WHY a hotel needs to encrypt a person's 'card # on those is completely beyond me. (Although, the hotel we stayed in 2 wks ago said that izzunt dunn ennymore.)

 

[STUNTS]

Chris, sorry to hear about that....:confused I know that in my neighborhood it's been mail that people are stealing... I can't begin to tell you the sheet we've dealt with here....

Hope everything gets back to "balance" for you....

Watch out guys......

 

[todd]

I would look at the hotel or restrants you dined at.
Sorry to hear about this.

 

[Kingman]

.....
Typically they also encrypt the info on the hotel keys - that is why I either swipe them out (Blackberry magnet works great) or what I normally do is take them with me when I leave.

Only a couple hotels included your credit card number when swiping your hotel key several years ago. I checked into this and have read several places where this is not a practice anymore. That being said, I travel extensively and never return my hotel key. I usually break them in half and throw them away someplace other than the hotel, just to be extra cautious.

 

[S592R]

Chris,

Sorry to hear about it. I don't think I showed my dl at the autocross. I only show my passport when boarding or checking into hotels. Check with your insurance company as some companies are extending complimentary ID theft protection to "prime" clients.

The bank should have taken a copy of the ID he used to verify the account as its practice in this area. should have been done there.

Hope all is well.
S

 

[isaakgt]

That sucks! I don't recall showing anyone my DL. Could it be that someone doing the room cleaning at the hotel went through your stuff? I had no idea that they encript your credit card # on the room key.

 

[MAD IN NC]

Only a couple hotels USED to include your credit card number when swiping your hotel key sevrel years ago. I checke into this and have read several places where this is not a practice anymore. That being said, I travel extensively and never return my hotel key. I usually break them in half and throw them away someplace other than the hotel, just to be extra cautious.

Ya, I know what we think but I can personally vouche for one of my direct reports who left his "Rental Recepit" from Preffered/ Chairmans Club/ Gold Glub/ Emerald whatever in the "returned rental" to have his "identity" stolen.

I don't trust anything or anybody when traveling. When I travel for business it's company based on the companies CC (with my liabilities based on the CC)and when on personal have even set up pre pay to eliminate risk.

250k miles a yr do that to ya :cheers

Maybe the odd's are against us seasoned travelers :eek

 

[dbk]

How ironic. I just got an email from Bank of America that one of my accounts with them had been logged onto from a Foreign IP at 6:42 AM yesterday. Given that I was on the road to Gingerman Raceway at 6:42 AM yesterday, it certainly wasn't me.

This was a credit card account that had previously been MBNA, not a bank account, so it wouldn't have anything to do with the Rally trip.

:bored

 

[Kirby Vieira]

Thanks for the heads-up, Chris. This has become a real plague throughout the US. Best of luck getting it straightened out. We will all be interested in the details of how it occurred.

 

[Neilda]

It's a plague in the UK too. One of the most vulnerable areas over here are when you stop for gas, (I don't mean having to stop because of intestinal wind by the way).

Many gas station employees pass on card details to their overseas bretheren for cash extraction. I've been done a couple of times....

 

[GT Tech]

DBK,
I got an e-mail from Bank of America too, saying about the same thing. It wanted me to "verify" my computer for international access.

I think my e-mail is a scam, unless BoA has retards writing them. The date was 9-18-07, and it reads like a set of Chinese fire drill instructions.

 

[Empty Pockets]

DBK,
I got an e-mail from Bank of America too, saying about the same thing. It wanted me to "verify" my computer for international access.

I think my e-mail is a scam, unless BoA has retards writing them. The date was 9-18-07, and it reads like a set of Chinese fire drill instructions.

'Simple way to be sure, 'Tech, is to simply CALL the bank and verify directly what you already suspect.

 

[FlorIdaho Chris]

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Still no details on the perp, but the bank does have video of the loser and a tape of his voice recorded on a couple of calls. The bank appears to be working hard on this one.

Good news for me is that the bank has already wired the stolen funds back into my account. I still have the major hassles with changing all my accounts and credit cards, but at least I am whole.

I'll post more when I have more.