Fraud

Oh T., I am so sorry. I was once in that position. I ended up doing some early spring cleaning and pulling out anything in my house that I didn't use or need. Took pictures and posted on CraigsList.. If you have clothing of your own or kids you can take to consignment store. There are also state funded programs such as WIC and welfare if you haven't already looked into those. You can find all the information you need online.. I have heard that they are being a little more lenient because of the economy, I guess it depends on your situation and where you live.
Good luck to you.

2 moms found this helpful

T., I'm so sorry this happened to you. What has the bank said? Are they willing to help you with a least figuring out the next step? Also, it's obviously too late now, but in the future I would consider getting one of those fraud protection services. They put steps in place to try to keep this from occurring, and if it does, they have insurance to help cover you and people to help you.

On another issue, you say you are unable to work away from home and barely able to pay the bills. I work from home enabling me to stay home with my two kids. Let me know if you are interested in learning what I do. It's just information I would be providing you, and it could really help you out!

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I know this is a very difficult time and my heart goes out to you. If you haven't gone to your bank...GO! Most are very helpful and will give you guidance in this.

Hi T.,
So sorry to hear that happened to you. I glanced over the prior posts and they contain about all the info necessary to get you into action. The police report is critical as is contacting your bank. You need to find out what your rights are based on the specifics of your situation. If you get to the point where you are not confident with the answers the bank is giving you, then I highly recommend you consider becoming a member of Pre-Paid Legal Services. The cost is as little as $17 per month and you would get unlimited access to attorneys to find out what your rights are and to help you know what to do to fix things. They also have the best ID Theft Shield Service I've seen (I'm a Certified ID Theft Risk Management Specialist.) because it provides true restoration. However, it would only be for future issues that you currently have no knowledge about (not this issue). Still, based on what they knew about you to successfully drain your account, could leave you open for more fraud and issues. I sleep better at night knowing I have a team of lawyers and private investigators ready to help me through the nightmare when it does happen to me (predicted to be 1 out of 2 Americans by 2010). www.greatlegalhelp.com will give you an overview of the services.

Email me if you would like me to email you the series of articles I've written on ID Theft including prevention and how to comparison shop services. I'd also be happy to answer any questions on either of the services, get you signed up (if desired) and educate you on how to get the most bang for your buck.

Be proactive now. Make those calls ASAP and start a file and keep good records of everyone you talk to and the nature of the conversation. Victims often have to prove their innocence.

Good luck and take care.
S.

The Denver District Attorney's Office helps with identity theft. Take a look http://www.denverda.org/Prosecution_Units/ECU/consumer_al....
Hope this can lead you in a positive direction!!

Hi T.,
I am so sorry to hear this...
We were in a similar situation a few years ago. We had a "family friend"/employee steal over $17,000 from us. This was from our business account (which in turn not only pays our subs but also pays us). It took us over 2 years to have the money returned...
Does your bank offer you protection against false charges? Have you seen a lawyer on how to re-coop your losses? Have you checked with your insurance company to see what help they can offer?
I also have a WAH business that may work for you. Please message me if you would like details.
I hope the best for you & your family. Take care, G.

I also suggest calling the CO Bar help line - they can refer you to an attorney who is taking on some cases pro bono in a specific area. Good luck to you - it can get resolved - do not give up!

I am so sorry to hear this. I think that this is everyone's worst nightmare. My heart and my prayers go out to you. How did this happen? Probably the best defense we have against something like this is to tell prevention methods. Again I am so sorry!

Go into your bank. Don't call. GO IN. Ask to speak to the branch manager. Don't talk to a teller. It will frustrate you and you will have to repeat yourself to the manager anyway. See if some of the funds are gone due to bank fees associated with overdraft etc. If so, they can refund these fees. How did the fraud occur? Lost card, checks? If you have checks that have a receipt (carbon copy), you can take these into the bank as proof of the amounts you were writing.

T.,

I am so, so sorry to hear of your situation. Luckily, there are things you can do to help recover your money, protect yourself and help catch who did this to you.

FIRST: Call your bank and explain the situation to them. Most banks have a fraud department. They will issue new account numbers, new debit card numbers, etc and launch an investigation into recovering your money as quickly as possible.

NEXT: File a police report. This will prove to your bank that you were diligent and that you won't stand to be victimized by this.

NEXT: (and this is really important) contact the three leading credit reporting agencies and file a fraud alert on your accounts. This will be in place for something like three months and will protect you further. Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. I think you may only need to contact one (and you can do it online) and they will alert the other agencies.

Contact all of your credit card companies and alert them to what has happened with your bank account.

Call the Social Security Administration Fraud line (800-269-0271) and have them put a fraud alert on your SSN in case there is more prevalent identity theft.

If you think you may have been a victim of identity theft, the FTC has a program in place to help: www.ftc.gov/idtheft

T.,
Go to the police, bank, and contact your credit cards. All of these will have advice for you. I pray for you as you go through this nasty situation.
S.