After checking into a particular bank statement I noticed a $49.90 charge for PW EAUCTION. I immediately called Bank Of America (that is a whole different complaint, but not for this thread!). While I was on with a BofA rep, I was searching that company in my previous statements. I did not find that company in any recent statements but did find that exact $49.90 charge... Every month previous going back 11 months. PW EAUCTIONS and Pacific Webworks had been charging me this fee every month under different names. Some said PW EAUCTIONS, some said Pacific Webworks, but every one had a different phone number and business code. Granted, I am NOT the best bankbook balancer, but that does not justify someone compromising my bank account.
After my BofA fraud rep said they will credit my bank account $550.00 and then research the case and get back to me, I immediately contacted Pacific Webworks. The front line "customer service" rep was quite quick with the answer on how to handle this situation, which threw up MANY red flags that this wasn't his first fraud BBQ he has attended. He explained to me that in June of I signed up for something online and they had sent me the MSFT Quick Books that I had "requested". I made him aware of my address and that I never actually signed up nor had I received any said product. He immediately suggested that I contact my local law enforcement agency and have a police report written up with the officer verifying my IP address. He also stated that if the IP address did not match the one they had on file, the fraud dept would refund the entire amount.
Bank Of America got back to me via snail mail and stated that the Visa backed debit card that had been compromised was not going to refund any charges that happened over 60 days prior. They suggested I take it up with Pacific Webworks as it was out of their hands at this point. I did just that and moved forward with the police report that Pacific Webworks "fraud dept" requested. It is now June 24th and I have yet to hear back so I called Pacific Webworks to check on the status. The customer service rep said that there was no direct line to speak top the rep handing my fraud case, there was no case number and there was no way of finding out what is happening with the case but to just wait for correspondence from them on what the found. He also informed me that the IP address was NOT a deciding factor if the one I provided and the one they had on file was in the same "vicinity" of each other. He said if the one from last year came from Russia, they would immediately refund my money. I asked him for a receipt of the initial transaction and he could not provide it. I asked for an IP address, again, he could not provide that. I went as far as asking him for the website that I allegedly was on when I "signed up" for this service (that I had NEVER received anything from)... Once again, not able to provide that.
I will update consumer complaints with my findings after I finish filing a report on the FBI's website and speaking to my attorney. The main issue we have is that this is an obvious bogus way of making income and since it is over state lines, and over the web, this is an FBI issue and I feel quite confident that Pacific Webworks will not come up on top with my particular instance. No receipt, no valid IP address, no proof of shipped product... No dice.
My suggestion for ANYONE who does a bunch of business online, look into PayPal as they offer a service where you get a VISA debit card number but it is not tied to your actual debit card number so you can't get compromised while using it.
Keep an eye out and by all means, watch your backs...
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