As stated in my title this company was able to acquire my personal information as well as my AMEX account number. And helped themselves to 6 seperate charges totaling close to $200.
My very loving and trusting husband pays our monthly bills and never questions my purchases or charges. And since, he's never been late on a payment, has been regularly paying these "fraudulant" charges.
AND If I had not (against my better judgement) decided to open an email delivered in my "spam folder" there's no telling how much longer this would have continued. However, because this "spam email" used the words, "It's time to renew your account with "Fast Auction Profit and Auction Tax Saver", and I knew our Taxes were always prepared by a local firm, I felt compelled to risk the consequences of opening mail from a total stranger. And it's a good thing I did because, I learned what this company had been doing.
The first explaination for the charges implied I had been purchasing computer programs from these companies. And even though I knew for certain I hadn't, while I was on the phone with them, I reviewed the programs on my computer and assured them I had no such programs. During this part of the conversation "Christian" assured me that I had in fact ordered and downloaded these programs.
Regardless of my repeating myself no less than 5 times, he insisted I enrolled in this program online. Attempting to further prove my point, I explained their email was located in my "spam folder" a folder set to collect mail attempting to be delivered to me by people that I had absolutely no contact with! I assured him that if I had contacted this company or on previous occasions answered mail from them, their emails would not reside in my spam folder.
So, this indicates someone within their company had "bootlegged" my identity and credit card information and was using it to "steal" from my husband and me.
"Christian continued to insist I had authorized theses charges. He was patronizing and rude while talking over me as I insisted on knowing the name and location of the company.
I was finally allowed to talk to a supervisor named Melissa. Which proved to be as useless as talking to Christian.in the end I was given a number to the corporate office only after I was assured my purchases were legitimate and legally binding!
As a result of this situation, I am terrified that there's been many, many more of these "bogus" charges. The only consolation to this situation is that American Express will open an investigation of this company and during this process will credit the charges back to my card and pursue the recovery of theses fraudulant charges from the company that collected them.
Something everyone reading this should know, I don't ever put my credit card information on the internet. And for them to have been able to do this leads me to believe that someone within their company is illegally accumulating consumer information from a third party, someone that has access to consumer purchases made with credit cards in the real world and is turning that information over to someone who in turn uses it to make fraudulant pruchase on behalf of this company.
I've read a few reports about this company and they all have one thing in common. All the victims credit cards are being charged without their knowledge and the explaination is always the same. "You made this purchases online."
If there's someone out there that can tell us what to do in order to stop this company from raping other consumer, please don't hesitate to offer your help.
Patricia
Belton, Texas
U.S.A.
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