New From Fleet

Fleet Bank allows credit card customers to access account information through a secure Web site. With a few keystrokes a cardholder can review charges and credits. Almost immediately, Fleet’s Fraud Department alerted me that unusual charges had appeared. A review of my account via Web site inspection confirmed the fears. Immediately, I attempted to contact the questionable vendors (a vendor phone number is provided for each transaction) using DialPad. In four cases, the vendors reversed the transactions, sending credits to Fleet. In two cases, vendors had answering machines. Leaving a message had no effect. No return call was received. When discussing this with Fleet’s Fraud Department, I was sent affidavits for the two disputed charges. At this point, the credit card had not been cancelled. The user of my credit card had charged slightly under $250 in amounts ranging from $16.95 to $100. It was apparent the perpetrator was attempting to fly “under the radar” with small charges that would avoid both careful scrutiny and suspicion.

Enter EBAY

By now, I logged onto the Fleet Web site daily. On February 25, the person with my stolen card paid eBay in the amount of $1,540.16! When this charge appeared on the computer screen, my first reaction was “why in the world was this charge neither challenged by Fleet nor eBay?” Immediately, I attempted to contact eBay. A trip to the eBay Web site proved futile. Nowhere on the Web site can one find the San Jose, California phone number or address. With the help of the Internet, I found the phone number and address with http://www.anywho.com/. A phone call to eBay 408-558-7400 resulted in a discussion with a “Gina NoName” who claimed to be in eBay’s fraud department. She asked me to “fax the documentation of the $1,540.16 transaction.” After I hung up the phone with Gina NoName (company policy not to provide last names), I realized I wanted to send the information as a file attachment. It took three more phone calls to eBay. I refused to talk to answering machines and finally with the help of an accounts payable clerk, Lynn NoName, I received the name and email address of Christi Teeple, eBay Billing Operation Supervisor. I fired off the documentation along with a cryptic note venting my frustration in dealing with eBay and explaining the serious nature of the matter.

In less than 10 minutes, Ms Teeple returned my call. I explained the events in greater detail. She said she would reverse the $1,540.16 charge immediately so that no penalty would be assessed against my card. She said that my information would be forwarded to the proper fraud personnel at eBay. I then received an email in which she stated in part: “…the first step you should take is to contact your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint.” The fraud contact at eBay is Jeff Parent at jparent@ebay.com. The value of eBay stock received a big boost in my mind. Teeple is an efficient pro.

The Newtown Police

On March 10, I filed a complaint (#9701-1501) with Officer William Hull of the Newtown Police Department. Officer Hull, a bright and attentive law enforcement officer, uses the Internet and was sympathetic to my plight. I stressed to him that I want the person found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. After filing the complaint, I had a sense that the Newtown Police Department would take this matter seriously.

Breaking News

As I wrote this article, I received a phone call from eBay’s Jeff Parent. He asked for a firsthand account of the incident. eBay’s seven-person fraud team takes these matters very seriously. The Newtown Police Department’s Detective Joseph Joudy has been in contact with eBay and Parent assured me all the information will be turned over to him. eBay maintains thorough records. My sense is that the person who illegally used my credit card will rue the day he (or she) decided to engage in a shopping spree at my expense.

A New Credit Card

I can again access my account information online. I will shortly sign an additional affidavit to assure my account is straightened out by having fraudulent charges reversed. While this effort takes time, patience, and careful record keeping, I find comfort in knowing that I may have played a small part in helping correct a problem some vision as helplessly out of control. I will follow up and report on this incident as it continues to unfold. Stay tuned.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.ebay.com

http://www.anywho.com/

(Note: This is the 249th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, “eBay, Getting Started” is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of “Internet Info for Real People” can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please email comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)